What airplane toilets do with your waste?
When you’re in that cramped little toilet trying to get five minutes peace do you ever stop to think what actually happens to you waste after you flush? Is there a hole under the airplane that shoots the waste into the sky? Does it just magically disappear?
Video – Smithsonian Channel
In case you weren’t sure, it’s neither of the above. What they really do to get rid of the waste is actually pretty complex.
Relying on strong suction from the flush – AKA praying for no blockages during the flight, because, just imagine – a valve opens when the chain is pulled, sucking all of the waste from the toilet bowl.
The waste is then coated with Teflon – which is also used on non-stick pans – to stop it sticking within the pipes. The waste is moved through the pipes, just like your home toilet system, but in this case, it is stored in tanks on board in the airplane as opposed to entering the sewage system.
When the plane lands, a sewage vehicle attaches a vacuum hose to the plane’s waste tanks. When it’s all emptied, the plane can prepare for its next flight.