Trends

Pooponomics: The Economy of Human Waste

Written by Mint.com
Published Sep 2, 2010
1 min read
The views expressed on this blog are those of the bloggers, and not necessarily those of Intuit. Third-party blogger may have received compensation for their time and services. Click here to read full disclosure on third-party bloggers. This blog does not provide legal, financial, accounting or tax advice. The content on this blog is "as is" and carries no warranties. Intuit does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the content on this blog. After 20 days, comments are closed on posts. Intuit may, but has no obligation to, monitor comments. Comments that include profanity or abusive language will not be posted. Click here to read full Terms of Service.

Few people think about if after flushing the toilet each morning, but the processing and disposal of human waste is actually a $100 billion business.

Beyond supporting entire industries, it can leave a hole in many people’s budgets, too. Consider this: on average, the parents of a newborn can expect to change 6,000 diapers during the first two years. During that time, they’ll spend about $1,600 on diapers, not to mention the added costs of wipes and diaper rash ointments. Meanwhile, the average American household spends nearly as much each year on having its septic system pumped and sending its waste into the sewers as they do on soft drinks (not that we’re implying any connection – beyond the place those soft drinks ultimately end up, of course).

In our latest infographic, we take a crack at the economy of sewage in America.

Shane Snow runs the online printing site, PrintingChoice, and draws infographics for the CreditLoan.com network.