Night soil

Night soil is a euphemism for human feces collected at night from cesspools, privies, etc. and sometimes used as a fertilizer. Another definition is "untreated excreta transported without water (e.g. via containers or buckets)". Night soil is produced as a result of a sanitation system in areas without community infrastructure such as a sewage treatment facility, or individual septic disposal. In this system of waste management, the human feces are collected in solid form.

The term night soil is more and more seen as a "historical term" and is being replaced by "fecal sludge".

Waste management

Collection

Faeces are excreted into a container or bucket, and are sometimes collected in the container with urine and other waste. The excrement in the pail was often covered with earth/dirt/soil. This may have contributed to the "soil" part of the term "night soil." Often the deposition or excretion occurs within the residence, such as in a shophouse faced with overpopulation. This system is used in isolated rural areas and is important in developing nations or in areas that lack the adequate infrastructure to have running water. The material is collected for temporary storage and is disposed of depending on local custom.