Sanitation is one of the most pressing global challenges that the world faces today. Despite significant advancements in coverage since the 1990s, a vast proportion of the global population still lacks access to safe sanitation. Almost 2.3 billion people still do not have access to sanitation and 892 million still defecate in the open. In several cities of the global South, ‘unplanned’ urbanisation has brought rapid and sporadic growth; however, many people still suffer from inadequate and poor access to sanitation, a problem that is projected to become more severe in the coming decades. Urgently need to develop innovative ways to create solutions to the growing sanitation crisis.