MotivationProper management of fecal sludge has significant positive health and environmental externalities. Most research on managing onsite sanitation so far either simulates the costs of, or the welfare effects from, managing sludge in situ in pit latrines. Thus, designing management strategies for onsite rural sanitation is challenging, because the actual costs of transporting sludge for treatment, and sources for financing these transport costs, are not well understood.MethodsIn this paper we calculate the actual cost of sludge management from onsite latrines, and identify the contributions that latrine owners are willing to make to finance the costs. A spreadsheet-based model is used to identify a cost-effective transport option, and to calculate the cost per household. Then a double-bound contingent valuation method is used to elicit from pit-latrine owners their willingness-to-pay to have sludge transported away. This methodology is employed for the case of a rural subdistrict in Bangladesh called Bhaluka, a unit of administration at which sludge management services are being piloted by the Government of Bangladesh.ResultsThe typical sludge accumulation rate in Bhaluka is calculated at 0.11 liters/person/day and a typical latrine will need to be emptied approximately once every 3 to 4 years. The costs of emptying and transport are high; approximately USD 13 per emptying event (circa 14% of average monthly income); household contributions could cover around 47% of this cost. However, if costs were spread over time, the service would cost USD 4 per year per household, or USD 0.31 per month per household—comparable to current expenditures of rural households on telecommunications.ConclusionThis is one of few research papers that brings the costs of waste management together with financing of that cost, to provide evidence for an implementable solution. This framework can be used to identify cost effective sludge management options and private contributions towards that cost in other (context-specific) administrative areas where onsite sanitation is widespread.

3The Government of Bangladesh is increasingly paying attention to the safe collection and disposal of 4 fecal sludge from pit latrines in rural areas. In this paper, we report on current sludge disposal 5 practices from single-pit latrines, by conducting a survey of 1,091 households with pit latrines in a 6 rural subdistrict of Bangladesh. Almost all households were using their pits, and 90% reported that 7 hiring pit emptiers to empty the pit for reuse was the dominant pit management practice. However, 8 90% of households also reported that the sludge from these pits would be disposed in the vicinity of 9 their homes, by digging wide and shallow troughs in the soil to absorb the sludge. These results 10 indicate an urgent need to design an organized service that safely transports fecal sludge away for 11 treatment. The National Committee for Fecal Sludge Management, constituted by the Government of 12 Bangladesh, is using these results to design policy for sludge management. 13

Composting is one of the sustainable answers for the management of organic municipal waste. Bulky nature of loose compost is one of the main drawbacks in promoting compost in agriculture and pelletization of compost can offset these drawbacks. In this study, the optimum conditions in a die and roller pelletizer to form pellets with desirable properties; bulk density, compressive strength, pellet length and disintegration ability with compost particles of different mesh sizes (2.5, 3.5, 5 mm), moisture contents (25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%), different amounts and types of binding agents (1%, 2%, 3% by weight of Rice Flour (RF), Lime, Rock Phosphate (RP)) were investigated. Pelletizing increased the bulk density of compost. Compost with ≤5 mm particles and 25% moisture content resulted pellets with the highest compressive strength and a higher percentage of long pellets. However, the tested properties varied with the type and the amount binding agents used with compost. Disintegration was not observed in pellets free of binding agents during the tested period but binding agents enhanced disintegration. Both machine efficiency and production efficiency decreased with increased moisture in compost and increased with increased compost particle size. However, increased amounts of binding agents in compost reduced the machine efficiency. This work shows that compost pelletizing with and without binding agents, enhanced properties of compost required in transportation, storage and application in agriculture.

Functional foods are the foods that provide health benefits beyond the basic nutrition. Dairy products have a prominent position in the functional food market. However, market share for functional dairy products in Sri Lanka is low compared to most of the countries in the world. Awareness of consumers and attitude towards a healthy life is essential for market success of functional dairy products. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the status of awareness of and attitudes towards functional dairy products among consumers from Western Province of Sri Lanka. The study was conducted using a pre-tested structured questionnaire during June to November 2018, with the participation of 307 purposively selected consumers. Information on consumers’ tendency towards a healthy life style, awareness and perception on health benefits of functional foods and dairy products, confidence on different information sources etc. were recorded. SPSS statistical software package was used for the data analysis. The empirical findings showed that the consumers still concern about taste and cost rather than health when buying food products. Consumer age showed a significant (χ2=19.41, p

Introduction: Population of Sri Lanka is aging fast. Chronic diseases in the elderly have become a vital public health issue. Generativity, concern for teaching and nurturing the next generation, is identified as an important component of well-being of the elderly. This study assessed the generative concern in a sample of elders in Galle, and correlates of the construct.