Pit emptying subsidy vouchers: a two-phased targeting and structuring experiment in Blantyre, Malawi

ABSTRACT The removal of excreta or faecal sludge from full pit latrines – pit emptying – is essential to extend the life of the sanitation technology, especially for the millions of users living in the dense, urban areas of the Global South. Unfortunately, pit-emptying is rarely practiced due to factors related to accessibility, disgust, and importantly, cost. We examined the impact of two different types of vouchers distributed in Blantyre, Malawi, to understand if and how subsidies could increase the practice of pit emptying in low-income areas. We found that pit emptying businesses were able to game the system to charge more money on top of the discount in the first study in which 21% vouchers were redeemed from 252 distributed. In a follow-up study, 25% vouchers were redeemed from 400 distributed with more rigorous subsidy targeting and structuring. We discuss why complex drivers for subsidy adoption among low-income households require further research.