A Better Way to Go: Toilets and the Future of Sanitation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center is a new exhibition that highlights toilets of the future and visions of sustainable sanitation systems that can save lives. See if you can answer six tough questions about toilets, and then scroll down to watch Susan Byrnes, chief communications officer at the Gates Foundation, answer some of the questions!
There are six questions in The Toilet Quiz. Make your best guess for each question, and then click Next for a new question!
Take the Toilet Quiz
Can you get six out of six on the Toilet Quiz? Most people miss at least one!
What percentage of the world uses toilet paper?
Correct!
Just 30% of the world’s people use toilet paper. The rest, 70%, are washers. Some use a bidet hose that provides a stream of water for post-poop cleaning. In many countries, especially India, people use wash cups in the bathroom.
Incorrect!
Just 30% of the world’s people use toilet paper. The rest, 70%, are washers. Some use a bidet hose that provides a stream of water for post-poop cleaning. In many countries, especially India, people use wash cups in the bathroom.
How many people across the world lack access to safe sanitation?
About 3.6 billion people around the world lack access to safe sanitation, and a lack of toilets impacts communities that are often already marginalized. Without private toilets, women and girls may have to wait until nighttime, which exposes them to physical danger. Nearly 40% of the world’s schools lack toilets and clean water, leaving children at risk of getting diarrheal diseases.
Incorrect!
About 3.6 billion people around the world lack access to safe sanitation, and a lack of toilets impacts communities that are often already marginalized. Without private toilets, women and girls may have to wait until nighttime, which exposes them to physical danger. Nearly 40% of the world’s schools lack toilets and clean water, leaving children at risk of getting diarrheal diseases.
True or False: The flush toilet hasn’t really changed in 250 years.
This is true—the flush toilet is ancient technology! Happily, new toilet innovations are being designed that can be set up anywhere, with no pipes and no running water. Waste is treated at the source, safely and cleanly. Scientists and innovators are working hard on these solutions as you read this!
Incorrect!
This is true—the flush toilet is ancient technology! Happily, new toilet innovations are being designed that can be set up anywhere, with no pipes and no running water. Waste is treated at the source, safely and cleanly. Scientists and innovators are working hard on these solutions as you read this!
What percentage of household fresh water is flushed away in toilets?
Correct!
About 25% of household fresh water is flushed away in toilets! But low-flow toilets that discharge 1.6 gallons per flush can reduce the average family’s water use by nearly 13,000 gallons per year!
Incorrect!
About 25% of household fresh water is flushed away in toilets! But low-flow toilets that discharge 1.6 gallons per flush can reduce the average family’s water use by nearly 13,000 gallons per year!
What percentage of the world uses squat toilets, as opposed to pedestal toilets?
Correct!
About two-thirds of the world uses squat toilets. Squatting straightens the colon, making it easier for the body to poop!
Incorrect!
About two-thirds of the world uses squat toilets. Squatting straightens the colon, making it easier for the body to poop!
The microbiome is the universe of microorganisms that live in our gut. How do scientists often refer to the microbiome?
Scientists call it our second brain because the gut microbiome holds 200 times more genetic material than the human genome! The trillions of microbes that live within the gastrointestinal tract do more than help us stay “regular.” They influence brain and heart function, protect against disease, and support mental health.
Incorrect!
Scientists call it our second brain because the gut microbiome holds 200 times more genetic material than the human genome! The trillions of microbes that live within the gastrointestinal tract do more than help us stay “regular.” They influence brain and heart function, protect against disease, and support mental health.
Thanks for taking the Toilet Quiz! Keep scrolling to see how CCO Susan Byrnes did on some of the same questions.
Chief Communications Officer Susan Byrnes tests her knowledge of all things sanitation with Exhibition and Content Developer, Teresa Gionis in the most recent Discovery Center exhibition “A Better Way To Go, Toilets and the Future of Sanitation.”
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