# Sanitation When Plumbing Fails

More people die after a disaster from sanitation failures than from the event
itself. This is the least glamorous preparation and close to the most important.

## The twin-bucket system

Use two buckets: one for liquid waste, one for solid. Separating them is the
whole trick — mixed waste is what produces the smell and the pathogen load.

Line the solid bucket with a heavy bag and cover each use with a scoop of an
absorbent carbon material: sawdust, peat moss, coconut coir, or shredded paper.
Seal and remove the bag when it is roughly two-thirds full.

## Siting a latrine

If you must dig, place a latrine at least **200 feet (60 meters)** from any water
source, and downhill from it. Dig it at least 6 inches deep, cover after each
use, and do not site it anywhere water pools after rain.

## Handwashing

A tippy-tap — a jug on a string with a foot lever — uses a fraction of the water
of pouring and is the single highest-value sanitation build. Soap and running
water beat hand sanitizer against the organisms that matter here.