The Origin of TFP
In 2005, Jason was living in a cabin he recently built in the mountains of Southern Vermont. The last step was installing a bathroom. Having a flush toilet was not an option in this ecologically sensitive area and he wanted something better than an outhouse. So he started looking into alternatives. After much research, he decided on a composting toilet solution and purchased one for $2,000. It worked well, but he felt it could be better, and was way too expensive.
In 2010, Jason was volunteering with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and leading a team of engineers tasked with finding a toilet that would work for a health clinic in Peru. The clinic was in the Peruvian Amazon and built on stilts to keep it above the floodwaters that submerge the community six months out of the year. Outhouses and flush toilets would not work in this situation either, and Jason thought of the composting toilet he installed in Vermont at his cabin.
Along with the team of EWB engineers, Jason proceeded to create a new composting toilet improving on the model he had purchased for his cabin. This new model used the same proven, spinning drum composting technology as the other toilet but used durable off the shelf components making it long lasting and easy to fix if ever there was a need.
Soon after this trip in 2010, Jason set up Toilets for People (TFP) to continue the design process. After 8 years of design, dozens of versions and extensive testing, we are happy to introduce the TFP Composting Toilet to serve as a affordable, hygienic bathroom solution for off-grid homeowners in the USA as well as people in the developing world.
TFP's Principles
TFP draws inspiration from Vermont's history of independence, resourcefulness and resilience. Our principles are also molded by our work with communities in the developing world where similar characteristics of ingenuity, tenacity and grit allow them to survive and thrive under difficult conditions. TFP draws from all these values to create affordable, long-lasting toilet products.
TFP's Mission
TFP is a social business that provides an affordable, sustainable and ecological toilet solution to those living off-grid in cabins, tiny houses, boats and RVs. TFP also serves organizations working in community development and disaster relief.
TFP's Non-Profit Work
TFP’s affiliated non-profit foundation offers on-location toilet fabrication and training services to partner organizations and local craftsmen to bring this toilet technology to those most in need.
articles and CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR TFP
Humanitarian & Development Aid Event (AidEx); Toilets for People – normalising toilets where families have never used them; 11/6/2017
Engineering for Change; Read article by TFP Founder Jason Kass Patently Wrong International Development; 8/15/2016
CurrencyFair.com; 20 Global Startups That Are Changing the World; 01/12/2016
PBS Newshour; 4 Innovative toilet designs to talk about on World Toilet Day; 11/19/2015
Popular Science; Maker Faire: A Composting Toilet for Developing Countries; 09/28/15
The Daily Banter; 22 of the Most Fascinating Social Good Startups Changing the World; 06/30/2015
Why We Give; Founders Story profile of Jason Kass; 03/14/2015
Inhabitat; 8 Lifesaving Toilet Designs; 01/03/2015
ONE.org; 7 Sustainable toilets that could change the way the world poops; 11/18/14
Wall Street Journal; Read oped by TFP Founder Jason Kass about how Toilets Can Save Lives; 6/5/14
National Defense University; TFP and disaster response: TIDES project; May 2014
Appropriate Technology Magazine; New Rotating Composting Toilet; March 2014
CleanTech Open Northeast; 2014 Global Impact Award Winner
Columbia University; 1st place winners at 2014 Engineering Venture Competition
New York Times; Read oped by TFP Founder Jason Kass about how toilets need to be simple “Bill Gates Can’t Build a Toilet”; 11/19/13
National Public Radio; Hear TFP Founder Jason Kass talk toilets on The Takeaway; 4/3/2013
Engineering for Change; Read article by TFP Founder Jason Kass Time to listen to what people want-and it’s not nasty toilets; 1/22/2013
Engineers without Boarders; NYC Professional Chapter’s 2012 Featured Member
Engineering for Change; Read article by TFP Founder Jason Kass High Tech-toilets? What we need is a low-tech toilet revolution; 11/18/2012