Whether you’re the type of person who loves the excitement of getting on a plane or you find it terrifying, there’s one thing all air travellers can agree on – the toilets are pretty grim.
But, what else would you expect for a tiny cubicle 37,000 feet in the sky catering for hundreds of passengers?
Anyway, if you’ve ever wondered what actually happens when you go to the toilet on a plane, like where does it go and why on Earth is it so loud, then you’re not alone.
Some people wrongly believe the waste is simply dropped out the bottom of the plane, but fortunately for those on the ground, that’s not the case.
The loud noise is a vacuum sucking the contents into a tank (
Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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For over 30 years, planes have used vacuum toilets so that they don’t have to carry unnecessary water, which would drastically add to the weight.
According to Gizmodo : “Pressing the flush button opens a valve in the bottom of the bowl, exposing the contents to a pneumatic vacuum.
The toilets also have a sort of Teflon non-stick coating to assist in pulling the waste down. Waste remains in the tank for the duration of the flight and is vacuumed out by crews on the ground.
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