Bill Gates just bought a load of sh*t…
Bill Gates just bought a whole load of poo. No, the ex-Microsoft boss hasn’t re-invested in the Kin phone range. Instead, it’s all part of a charity venture from the one-time tech figurehead turned philanthropist.
His charity, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, just invested in 200 litres of fake poo in a project called the “Reinvent the Toilet Fair”.
The foundation is looking to help 2.6 billion people in the third world benefit from improved sewerage systems, with $3 million in grants from Gates’ charity going towards research for a new toilet system that requires no water, electricity or even traditional sewerage infrastructure.
The plan is to build a system that dries human waste, burns it and then converts it into fertiliser. This will in turn generate enough energy to “power the latrine’s light and recharge your cellphone,” according to one researcher.
The fair, which takes place between the 14th and 15th of August, will also see designs for a solar powered toilet and one that turns waste into electricity using microwave technology showcased too.
And what of Bill’s poo? That’s all going the down loo, making sure all the toilets are working, flushing out the systems nice and regularly.
