The future of smart and sustainable toilets is whizzing across the campus.

Facilities Management has introduced dual-flush toilets — which look the same as regular ones but have two buttons for solid and liquid waste — in dorms from North Campus to the newly opened South Campus Commons Building 7 in an effort to reduce the university’s water consumption.

“We are trying to be good custodians of our environment,” said Terry Perkins, assistant director of Facilities Maintenance. “We’re also trying to reduce costs, especially in these budget times.”

Perkins said the upgrades, which began last winter break, have occurred in almost all the North Campus highrises, most recently LaPlata Hall, except Centreville and Cumberland halls. Due to Sabbath religious observances, not all toilets in the bathrooms have been replaced. Eventually, the project will branch out to other appropriate buildings, including North Hill dorms.

The new toilets operate with an automatic “eye” timer that flushes the toilet according to the length of time a person is sitting on it.

“If you are on it for less than 65 seconds, the toilet will only flush with 1.1 gallons of water [for liquid waste],” Perkins said. “If you are on it after 65 seconds it will assume the full 1.6 gallons [for solid waste]. The original toilets used 3.5 gallons of water [for both].”

The project has cost about $203,000 so far, not including labor costs. The upgrades are expected to save the university about $120,000 annually and pay for themselves within two years.

Facilities has also upgraded the washing machines to front-loading washing machines and saved 2 million gallons of water, upgraded sinks that previously used 1 gallon of water to ones using a half gallon and changed out showerheads as part of its sustainability effort.

So far, students have been slightly confused by the new toilets. Angel Schlogel, a sophomore communications major, noted they look expensive.

“It’s also kind of weird that they’re timing you,” Schlogel said.

Sophomore music major Meredith Hall said she approved of the new toilets because of their eco-friendliness — although she said a friend was irked because she had to actually touch the flush button when she previously had been able to kick it.

“I think if they’re effective to the point that this works for the university, then I’m fine with it,” Hall said.

But as for those coming back from a night on the town, the new toilets may not be an improvement.

“They’re not really going to help with vomit,” Perkins said. “You should press the same as a bowel movement, but it may still have to be cleaned.”

cetrone@umdbk.com