Sanitation Creations presents the Dungaroo
We want to talk to you about going to the bathroom.
To quote a famous children’s book, “Everybody poops!”- But sometimes we have to hold it because our only options are pretty gross.
We’ve created the Dungaroo to make your portable toilet experience enjoyable, and to ultimately help bring toilet options to the 2.5 billion people around the world who lack access to adequate sanitation. The Dungaroo is a waterless, odorless toilet made of mostly plastic materials that uses specially lined bags to treat and store the waste.
Mission
Our mission is to offer environmentally-friendly, hygienic sanitation solutions that are odorless, waterless, and economical. We’re working to provide a healthful, clean, and enjoyable bathroom experience.
Call us idealists, but we want our customers to love going to the bathroom!
While people in the United States have been stuck with sub-par portable toilets, the developing world lacks even that. Along with clearing the air in domestic bathrooms, we’ll also provide our users with clear consciences as we work to ensure that hygienic sanitation is available worldwide.
How We Got started
I (Liz Morris) am the founder and CEO of Sanitation Creations. Four years ago, I was starting grad school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. I wanted to attend a one-year masters program in a big city with no required research. Somehow I ended up in a two-year masters program in a college town with required research. I was a bit of an oddball in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering department because my background is in Packaging Science and their research specialties are water and air. Luckily, my advisor was just transferring from the World Health Organization's Water and Sanitation Sector. In our first conversation, he asked how I felt about packaging poop for my research. I knew I had found the perfect project!
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Hanging out with the kids in Ciudad de Dios, Peru
I spent time in Peru asking people about their toilet situations, cultural preferences, concerns, and wants in a toilet. One woman told us that she hated going at night because she was worried about snakes in her latrine. (Ack!) As I sat down to write my thesis, I realized that I spent more time doodling toilets on my thesis than actually writing it.
When I graduated, it was plain to everyone around me that I loved packaging poop and that I had found my passion. My cousin (a lawyer) gave me one of the best graduation presents a budding entrepreneur could receive, my incorporation papers. And so in May of 2011, Sanitation Creations was born.
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This is me (Liz) sitting on our second prototype of the Dungaroo.
I immediately went to Dan Green, my best friend of 25 years (we met in pre-school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and asked if he would join me on my "shitty" toilet campaign. I knew I would I need a accountant, budget man, realist, and friend to keep me and Sanitation Creations grounded. Luckily, he agreed.
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Halloween in pre-school with 2 more of our best friends (that we are still friends with today!). Dan is the ninja turtle. I am the devil. I am still causing trouble and he is still saving the day.
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Dan and I at Machu Picchu in 2010
Since 2011, Sanitation Creations has made immense progress. We’ve sponsored research at NC State University in Raleigh to help with development of the Dungaroo and the bag cartridge, we have created and tested two fully functioning prototypes, and have made connections with the appropriate manufactures to help us get the Dungaroo on the market - All we need now is your help!
The Team
Aside from me, our team also includes Dan Green, our CFO with a background in accounting and finance, Sarah Nilson from NC State who does our PR and marketing, and David Walker, our waste to energy engineer.
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The Sanitation Creations (minus David)
What is the Dungaroo?
The patent-pending Dungaroo is a waterless, odorless toilet that uses specially-lined plastic bags to hold the waste. When the Dungaroo is mechanically flushed using its foot pedal, it drops in an anti-microbial that treats the waste, drops it into the storage bin out of view, and pulls the next bag into place. The Dungaroo is easy to empty and turns what would be bio-hazardous waste into regular trash!
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*This is the prototype of the Dungaroo. The actual Dungaroo will be white plastic.
The Dungaroo is the only toilet of its kind that seals, treats and stores the waste.
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The Dungaroo works in 3 easy steps.
- When flushed the Dungaroos' gears seal the bag, drop it into a containment bag and pull a new bag into place.
- Anti-microbial agents in the bags treat the waste.
- No special equipment needed-just toss the used bags into the trash.
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The Dungaroo is great for anywhere that water is just not an option. Our initial market is to get the Dungaroo into boats and RVs, but other uses include vacation homes, buildings without septic tanks, farms, places where installing a septic tank is expensive, camping, etc.
One day, we hope to get the Dungaroo fitted in planes, trains, cruise ships, porta-potties, and of course, developing countries.
Our research shows that boat and RV users want a toilet that has environmental benefits and reduces the amount of water held onboard the boat or RV. The emptying process for boat and RV owners is difficult and odorous. The current process involves pumping out the waste using a hose to connect to a septic tank and taking the waste to water treatment site. Then, the waste ultimately ends up in sludge treatment or dumped into a landfill. With the Dungaroo, boat and RV owners no longer need a black water tank and gain additional storage on board.
The Dungaroo can be retrofitted into most boats or RV’s.
Dimensions are 18” x 18” x 18”.
And again, the used bags can go right into the trash - we’ve made sure the bags meet all regulations to allow you to do this! Our system not only treats the waste and kills all bacteria; it also eliminates the odor, while preventing harmful methane gas from getting out into the atmosphere.
About Replacement Cartridges
Additional replacement cartridges will be available for order on our website starting in early 2014. We are also working with national distributors to get them into a store near you. So when you are out exploring, and realize that you used your last cartridge, you will be able to get them. We do suggest that you keep a few extra cartridges on hand though when traveling. No worries about storage, because you will no longer need that blackwater tank. We are ensuring that the bags will always be available to our Dungaroo users. The Replacement Cartridges go right underneath the seat and drop right in similar to the Diaper Genie.
Why Boats and RVs first?
Studies have shown that toilets are more likely to be accepted and used in developing countries if they are accepted first in developed countries. It raises the Dungaroo to gold standard toilet status. It makes it more in line with the porcelain throne that we get use to at home now. We want the Dungaroo to be the plastic throne. It also allows us to scale our production in the United States, which brings down our manufacturing cost. This will allow us to provide the Dungaroo to those people that need it most at an affordable cost and it helps that profits from the Dungaroo will go towards further subsidizing it. We are using the resources, partners, reputation that we are building in the United States to ensure successful uptake in developing countries. As we all know, new technologies can be scary, especially ones like a toilet. Boats, RVs, and the other markets we will eventually be entering remove that scariness.
Why are we on Indiegogo?
We need your help to mass-produce the Dungaroo for all people who are suffering with current portable toilet options. While we currently have a working prototype, our $50,000 Indiegogo goal will get us through the final stage of design and will help us start tooling and manufacturing set up. We will be unlocking special offers for anyone who has already supported us when we reach new levels of support!
Stretch Goal = $100,000
Our Stretch goal of $100,000 will allow us to finish tooling and begin production! If we reach our stretch goal of $100,000 then everyone who pledged at the $400 level or higher will receive an extra bag cartridge for your Dungaroo!
We don't think this will happen but if we do not reach our goals, we will still be going into production. You will definitely be getting a Dungaroo and our other rewards. It just means that they might be slightly delayed. Flexible funding on Indiegogo requires that we are still responsible to send out our rewards.
Reward Breakdown Summary
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
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If we reach our goal, all backers will be given recognition on our website.
Free Shipping in the USA.
For International Shipping, please email us (info@sanitationcreations.com) for rates.
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