Who does not know them, the blue and white plastic privies? They are everywhere: at barbecue sites, playgrounds, cross-country ski trails, on construction sites and at events. Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus (GST) now plans to replace the ToiToi facilities at tourist infrastructures with more aesthetic and ecological facilities.

The project is a small contribution to a more ecological tourism in the destination of Gstaad. Tourism, agriculture and regional businesses should benefit from this project. The new privies are also intended to encourage visitors to use the facilities instead going about their business in nearby forests or the like. In other words, ecological and aesthetic toilets for added value in the region.

Test phase
This summer, three installations are being tested at different locations: at the Schönried playground, at the barbecue area along the Saane river (opposite Stiftung Alpenruhe) and on the Arnensee hiking trail. The Kompotoi company rents out the composting loos used during the test phase. Maintenance and cleaning of the facilities will be carried out by the GST infrastructure team and, at the Arnensee, by the municipality of Gsteig.

A survey will also be conducted to see how these ecological privies are received by guests. After the test phase it will be decided what system is best suited for the region and the individual locations. Should the test be successful, a special design will be developed and built in collaboration with a carpenter from the region. The aim is to design authentic facilities in the typical chalet style. To guarantee a functional and hygienic facility, an expert will be consulted.

Let’s talk about (sh)it
Composting toilets are dry toilets and function without water, chemicals and electricity. To neutralise the smell, sawdust or wood shavings are sprinkled down the hole. But nowadays, even systems without sawdust are odourless and user-friendly.

The urine can be used to produce fertilizer with a corresponding machine. In this process all harmful ingredients are eliminated. This fertilizer called Aurin has been officially approved by the Federal Office for Agriculture and may be used in food production. A regional company is interested in this kind of urine treatment, which would result in a fully regional recycle process.

A look into the future
New locations will be defined in the future with a focus on heavily frequented and polluted locations. The GST is open to comments and suggestions from the public. They have already found regional service providers who would be interested in the installation, storage and composting of the facilities.

Who knows, perhaps beautiful privy chalets will soon be available in the destination of Gstaad, not only to be used at tourist infrastructures, but also on construction sites and major events.

BASED ON AVS