Whats that Smell Filter: Why can most third world countries septic systems handle toilet paper?
I believe it’s to do with the treatment plants. Not true. Most treatment plants in the developing world function only partially / periodically; from your link: In Latin America about 15% of collected wastewater passes through treatment plants and that 15% claim is pretty optimistic. Moreover, given all the weird stuff people flush, TP is not in the slightest the biggest problem for treatment plants — you wouldn’t believe the things that come in through the pipes. As Wallaby suggests, it’s at the consumer end, for what I think are three or four reasons. Water-flush toilets are surprisingly delicate creatures — they need to be connected to drain pipes of specific sizes and laid at exact slopes (too flat and they clog; too steep and the liquids drain faster and the solids clog) and made from certain materials connected in specific ways; they need TP manufactured to specific tolerances (ever tried flushing a wad of paper towels?); and they need reliable and fairly pure water sources. In
