Where does poop go on a plane? Imagine your worst nightmare. Now multiply that by a thousand and you might get close to what it’s like to fly on an airplane and have to go to the bathroom.
We all know what it feels like to be doing the deed and think we’re safe to let loose anywhere we want without consequence,
but airlines and airport personnel ask passengers to wait until they reach the airport bathroom before using the facilities.
Where Does Poop Go on a Plane?
Where Does Poop Go on a Plane?
Who knows! The time between the excretion of said material and its handling by airline staff is probably too short for there to be any visible trace upon landing.
The process which occurs during air travel is called catabolism, this means that the eatable food turned into energy or fuel. This helps keep an airplane in the sky since airplanes use much more fuel then cars do.
poop however is not considered “eatable” so it can’t be used as energy because it’s made up of mostly water. When poop comes out of your body it passes through your colon until it it makes contact with your anus which expels fecal matter out of your body.
After you poop in the airplane bathroom, the toilet paper is checked for fecal residue before being sent out to be cleaned.
Next, a biohazardous waste container with either red or blue liquid inside will be used to disinfect the bathroom and flush away any debris left behind from cleaning.
This all takes place within minutes of landing so it’s unlikely that there are visible remnants of said “poop incident.”
So next time you’re taking a plane just remember that anything your body expels is disposed of quickly when in-flight.
And lastly if you have to use the bathroom on a plane don’t worry because what happens in the plane stays in the plane…mostly.
How Do Airplane Toilets Work?
Where Does Poop Go on a Plane?
Every standard passenger’s toilet on a plane is equipped with what’s called a “waste evacuation system,” which sounds pretty gross, by the way. But don’t worry, this is not some complicated poop-scooping machine…
The process begins when you push your waste down the chute with the paper tube inside.
The tube will form a seal around what you’ve flushed and hold it below while an arm moving up and down pierces it to inject high-pressure jets of water to break up the blockage and flush out any solid materials stuck in there.
The biocides that are used during this process serve both as disinfectants to kill bacteria left behind by previous users and as accelerators to help push solids and water down the drain.
From there, the waste is then sent to a wastewater tank underneath the plane, where it can be emptied when needed.
It’s okay if you’ve dropped a few pounds for your flight; just remember that what goes in must eventually come out! So this is all pretty interesting stuff, but I don’t think you should worry too much.
The tests they do before takeoff are pretty thorough, and if there was any fecal material left behind, it would be easily noticed.
It’s almost impossible for something like that to go unnoticed because of the strict guidelines set out by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to ensure your safety while flying.
And if you’re wondering why they don’t just dump the sewage at a high altitude, it’s because dumping treated water into the ocean is illegal. I hope this article answers the question, “Where Does Poop Go on a Plane?”
