What we do – Container Based Sanitation Alliance

Collective action on systemic blockages.

CBSA members and staff at a field trip organised as part of a sanitation conference and learning exchange in West Africa in 2023.

Our members have shown that CBS is safe, viable and desired. It’s time for authorities and funders to support it at much larger scale. Here’s what we are doing to make this happen:

Promoting an enabling environment for CBS

CBS is not yet part of the ‘standard’ menu of sanitation options for LMIC governments. We advocate for CBS to be mainstreamed by promoting and raising awareness of CBS benefits to ensure appropriate policies, standards, regulations and contracts are in place. Specifically, we are working on:

Promoting the benefits of CBS to sanitation authorities, including its cost-effectiveness, climate benefits and as a key option for supporting citywide inclusive sanitation
Influencing CBS-supportive policies and regulations
Creating quality standards for CBS and reduce risk for authorities
Developing guidelines on appropriate contracts for CBS operators.

Increasing funding to CBS

The funding gap and lack of public funding to CBS is a key barrier to scale and acceptance. We work to incentivise public investment in CBS, mobilise private funding from new non-WASH sources and chart a path to inclusion in projects with repayable finance. This includes:

Incentivising public investment in CBS through practical mechanisms
Mobilising private funding from new sources, including exploring the potential of carbon credits, wider climate finance and results-based financing
Charting a path to inclusion in projects with repayable finance.

Supporting members and new CBS providers

CBS providers remain small and the sector isn’t yet attracting many new entrants. We support CBSA members and new providers to develop and grow by facilitating peer exchange and providing learning resources, technical assistance and training.

Providing standardised products and tools for CBS providers, including our implementation guide, internal knowledge exchange sessions and learning briefs.
Facilitating responsive support for new CBS providers
Responding to CBSA members’ needs