Although it is not an act many people spend an exorbitant amount of time contemplating, flushing the toilet relegates about 8 to 13 liters of water to the sewer, a septic tank or some equally unappealing place.

However, a new portable toilet that has been developed by a Japanese firm does not use water. It instead uses cedar chips to break down waste. Its creators hope this nonwaste-producing toilet will, among other things, save water, offer a portable toilet alternative that does not emit offensive odors and help improve Japan's forests through increased wood sales.

The Bio-toilet uses cedar chips to treat human waste, turning it into carbon dioxide and water in a matter of hours, said Tsugiho Takahata of Environment Conservation Study Place, which markets the toilet. "This product is based on the concept that when you mix sawdust with raw garbage and organic waste, it turns into organic fertilizer," Takahata said.