Personal Values Inform Student Preference for Household Toilet Systems That Use Human ‘Waste’ as a Natural Resource

This study contributes to understanding pro-environmental behavior in toilet system adoption by examining the core values that inform decision-making processes. Undergraduates participated in an educational module on conventional and alternative wastewater systems, followed by composing essays envisioning their ideal toilet system for a future home. Qualitative analysis of responses established a codebook outlining the values students mention when describing their preferences. The identified values include: 1) Contributes to Something Good, 2) Uses Resources Wisely (water, nutrients, and money), 3) Practical (economical and easy to maintain), and 4) Avoids Causing Harm (environment and people). Findings suggest that students use emotional and cognitive domains in decision-making. The study suggests that, after learning about various wastewater systems, students do not adhere to the social norm of adopting conventional toilet systems. Students’ preference for systems designed to utilize human "waste" as a resource supports the literature on social change toward the widespread adoption of sustainable sanitation systems. Importantly, students view toilet systems as potential mitigators of harm and producers of something beneficial. We also show that the awareness of how a poorly designed and managed system could cause harm and the value of caring for the Earth may overcome the feeling of disgust associated with the social taboo related to human excrement. Our research can assist sustainability sanitation advocates and educators because it gives evidence that a group of people are motivated to adopt regenerative sanitation systems.