For any community, decent sanitation is the first stage of community development. The upgrading of sanitation in communities is a priority for most local Municipalities throughout South Africa, and Concretex is proud to have been involved in many of these projects throughout the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, with the provision of various types of latrine.

Working with municipalities around the country, Concretex has manufactured and installed thousands of durable and hygienic modular toilet units; either provided as a top structure only and connected to the mains sewer, or as Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines (VIP’s), where mains sewerage is not available. In the case of VIP’s, a pit is excavated and then lined with pre-cast concrete panels. The VIP design allows for ventilation and natural decomposition of waste matter.

Concretex manufactures and installs various types of modular toilets according to need. The units are delivered in knockdown kits on pallets and usually delivered to the point of installation. The design of the toilet units allows for easy handling which is an important advantage in the confined spaces of informal settlements – for instance, the panels can be carried by hand through fairly narrow gaps and no mechanical handling is required.

The units are easily erected - and require only a spanner, and two to four work-men (although very manageable by men, the work is too heavy for women). All Concretex latrine units are built using pre-stressed concrete panels for strength and durability.

Toilet types:

• Top structure with rear discharge for water-borne sewerage
• Top structure with base discharge for pit sanitation. These are commonly used in rural areas. Once the pit is full, another pit is dug and the toilet structure is unbolted and moved into position over the new pit.
• Top structure with base discharge designed to fit an anaerobic sanitation digester
• Top and bottom structure – known as Ventilated Improved Pit Toilets (VIP’s). The VIP toilet is more sophisticated than an ordinary pit latrine. When properly used and maintained, it offers an hygienic alternative to water-borne sanitation - thanks to an in-built ventilation facility, a natural process of decomposition and bacterial digestion occurs. When VIP’s are used, a pit is dug, and then lined with concrete panels which prevent ground collapse, and this creates a holding-tank. Top and bottom structures similarly consist of moulded panels bolted together. The unit is installed complete with a ceramic toilet, toilet-seat and lid, and ventilation pipe