In Kenya, fuel made from human feces keeps the home fires burning

NAKURU, Kenya (Reuters) - A Kenyan company has taken the mantra "waste not, want not" to unusual lengths by using human feces to manufacture briquettes for use for use in cooking and heating.

The fuel is made by workers from the Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company, who dry it, treat it in a kiln and carbonize it with sawdust at 300 degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit), and eventually press it into balls that are then sold by the kilo.

The production process also removes harmful pathogens and, of course, the unpleasant smell.

Only 1 in 4 Nakuru residents are connected to the town's sewer system, and waste is often dumped in storm drains and rivers, or buried in low-income areas.

Officials said that, at first, it was hard to convince the local community to use the briquettes due to the taboo associated with human faeces, but residents are now embracing the product.

"It doesn't have an odor, it cooks well, the fire burns well, You are able to cook fast and the briquettes burn for long", trader Grace Waka told Reuters.

As well as providing fuel, the project, which is supported by the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the European Union among other partners, also aims to protect the environment and improve sanitation, especially in poorer parts of the town.

(Reporting by Reuters TV, writing by Mark Hanrahan in London Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)