About Us
Ensenada, Baha, Mexico - The First Solaris Toilet
The concept for the Solaris Toilet was originated by Tom Pirelli in 2011 when he was donating and building homes for homeless families in Ensenada, Baha, Mexico as part of a Homes of Hope initiative. The families lived on land where there were no roads, no water sources, no sewer or sanitation facilities, and no electricity. They were essentially in the middle of a desert on land that no one else wanted for a residence.
Our charitable organization initially installed water flush toilets in the Insulated Metal Panel (IMP’s) homes that we built for the families. We soon discovered that none of the families wanted to waste their limited water supply by flushing it down a toilet.
Since the toilets were not being used and sanitary conditions were not improving, Pirelli decided to develop a toilet that did not need water to flush. The first Solaris Toilet was built in Ensenada, Mexico and was installed in a donated home in May, 2011.
A Sanitary Solution for Families in Need
A government truck would arrive once a week to provide 100 gallons of water for each family. The water was not suitable for drinking but they could use it for washing, cooking (after boiling), washing dishes and washing clothes. The families had no toilets so they either resorted to open defecation or they built and used a crude, an unsanitary outhouse.
How Far We've Come
The ST has undergone 14 major design improvements in the subsequent years. Although the basic concept of “only one moving part” has remained the same, the latest aluminum version is a major improvement from the original PVC toilet.
Solaris Toilet Patent
Solaris Systems’ founder, Thomas Pirelli, was granted US Patent Number 9,668,623 for the Solaris Toilet on June 6, 2017.