A Plumb Line to the 21st Century : Toilets of the future will be lower and blend in, experts say

Since we’re on the cusp of the new millennium, it might be appropriate to consider what toilets or their successors might look like in the future. Movies and TV shows about futuristic societies never seem to show bathroom scenes.

No one is suggesting that we’ll be able to “beam” wastes elsewhere a la “Star Trek.” But some plumbing insiders do see changes coming.

“I do believe toilets will change in their appearance in the future,” bathroom supplier American Standard’s Pete De Marco said. “A demand for a less visible toilet is on the rise. . . . People don’t want to see them, so builders are putting them in little alcoves or [cubbyholes]” separated from the rest of the bathroom by low walls or doors.

“Lower and quieter” fixtures that “blend in with the overall decor” is the immediate prediction of Don Gamble at Eljer Plumbingware Inc. Low-slung one-piece designs on the market look more like furniture than plumbing, since the tanks are at or below the rim of the seat.

And from the World Future Society in Bethesda, Md., comes the word that some environmentally attuned communities are exploring ways to use gray water in bathrooms, recycling dishwashing water or other previously used supplies into the toilet.

One old favorite that could even reappear is the composting toilet, in which wastes travel from home to garden rather than to treatment plant.