Cost-benefit analysis of sustainable sanitation systems in northern Chinese town: A case study

Sustainable sanitation systems utilize separation and waste recycling to improve the sustainability of sewage systems. Data were collected to evaluate the economics of the sustainable sanitation system in the Haozhaokui (HZK) ecological community of Inner-Mongolia, China based on a cost-benefit analysis which compared the costs and benefits of the sustainable sanitation system and a conventional sanitation system of the same size. The results show that the economic net present value (ENPV) of the sustainable sanitation system in the HZK community with a discount rate equal to or less than 8% is higher than that of the conventional sanitation system. Therefore, the sustainable sanitation system, which incorporates feces and urine separation and collection in multi-story buildings, is economically feasible in northern Chinese towns.