Bio-centres, piloted in 2007 and expanded to 84 installations by 2014, address urgent sanitation challenges in concert with other social and economic needs. Bio-centres are multi-layer structures that use anaerobic digestion to process human excreta on-site, producing two valuable by-products of immediate use to the population near the facility: methane for cooking and bio-slurry compost for agricultural production. Localized metabolisms enable cities to process excreta and utilize by-products to uplift the dignity and wealth of those most vulnerable and disenfranchised. With toilets, showers, kitchens, and rental spaces for community and commercial purposes, Bio-centres layer multiple income-generating uses into a communal ecological sanitation facility, and in turn becomes an anchor or node in the community. Developing socio-ecological infrastructures to process human excrement and harvest resources, both biogas and compost, make deep impacts on the health and well being of humans and their communities. A systems thinking approach enables effective engagement with the overlapping ecological, geographic, and economic challenges associated with developing advantageous sanitation solutions in informal settlements. By engaging all to these spheres in the placement and operations of Bio-centres the benefits of these facilities can be maximized.