More than 200 million tons of human waste goes untreated every year.
4.5 billion people around the world do not have access to household toilets that safely dispose of their waste, according to the United Nations. And each year, over 200 million tons (181 million metric tons) of human waste goes untreated, with more than 90 percent of sewage in the developing world released directly into oceans, lakes and rivers.
At least 1.8 billion people worldwide depend on a drinking water source that is contaminated by fecal residue; poor sanitation leads to disease outbreaks and public health crises that affect millions of people each year — many of them children. However, improving access to clean water and implementing better sanitation practices, such as feces containment and treatment that enables its safe disposal, could prevent approximately 842,000 deaths each year, according to reports from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.