BetaBetaDataset
To provide standardized urban sanitation costing data and tools that support sanitation investment planning, cost comparison, and decision-making across sanitation service delivery systems
The Climate and Costs in Urban Sanitation (CACTUS) project was launched in 2017 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to address gaps in standardized sanitation costing methods and empirical cost data for urban sanitation systems. The project was developed by researchers at the University of Leeds to improve information available for sanitation infrastructure and service investment decisions.
The platform includes empirical cost data, sanitation costing metrics, benchmarking tools, downloadable workbooks, world maps, charts, tables, and conceptual cost models for sanitation systems across the full sanitation value chain. It covers containment, emptying, transport, treatment, wastewater systems, faecal sludge management (FSM), and container-based sanitation (CBS) systems, alongside standardized metrics such as Total Annualised Cost per Household (TACH) and Total Annualised Cost per Capita (TACC).
The data are collected from existing and completed urban sanitation projects and operational sanitation systems worldwide. CACTUS compiles empirical cost data from utilities, sanitation service providers, field research, literature reviews, and partner organizations, then normalizes the information into standardized costing frameworks and comparable cost metrics.