Composting Toilet

Composting toilets are, among other things, a great way to conserve water; lots of water. They are also known as waterless toilets and biological toilets. It is estimated that a typical America family of four flushes 100,000 (one hundred thousand) liters of water down the toilet in one year. That is ONLY the water flushed down the toilet. On top of that comes showering, bathing, washing machines, dish washers, etc. All of these things that we have grown accustomed to are wildly inefficient and wasteful. Enter the composting toilet.

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Composting toilets, in one form or another, have been around for thousands of years (what do you think humans did before the flush toilet?) and they are enormously efficient and useful. You may be surprised to learn that there are many composting toilets on the market in North America. They come in many different sizes, shapes colors, and prices. The great variety in composting toilets is to accommodate different customs, cultures and climates. There are even composting toilet models built especially for RVs, boats and cabins.

Now, I know what you are thinking, you want me to do the deed and then leave it there like a port-a-poty? Yes, that is exactly what you do. You should know that, if set up properly, composting toilets do not smell, are very clean and very hygienic. It will take a little getting used to, but we humans have knack for adapting and it is better to adapt before you lose our most precious resource, clean water.

Composting toilets come in many designs, there are one chamber models and two chamber models. You can see a one chamber model in the video above. One chamber is filled and rotated every so often until to facilitate efficient composting. As the composting process occurs, the human wastes reduces in volume by 90% which helps avoid the problem of overflowing the chamber. In the two chamber models, the two chambers are filled separately. One chamber is used until it is full and it is the sealed and allowed to compost in peace while you use the other chamber. There are two openings in each container, one on the top for filling and one on the bottom for removal of humus (mature compost). The humus does not have an odor and it can be used immediately for your organic gardening projects. Once one of the compost toilets chambers is emptied it is ready to be filled up again.

During the composting process (aerobic decomposition) the human waste in the composting toilet is reduced to about 10% of its original volume. The reason for the large reduction in volume is water loss. Ninety percent of the water is evaporated through a venting system while microbes decompose the solid matter. The result is humus (soil) rather than sewage. The humus is a stable, soil-like organic matter. Whether or not you are able to use humus in your garden depends on the laws in your state. You may have bury it or have a licensed seepage hauler remove it. In many countries the humus is used to fertilize the soil for edible crops.

The composting toilet is ideal for a family home, but it can also be used for larger applications. For example, in public buildings (such as schools) the composting toilets can be set up in large clusters to serve the high traffic. See the video below for an example of a large scale composting toilet.

In communities that use composting toilet systems the public must be educated and trained on the proper use of composting toilets. If they are not used properly they can cause all sorts of problems.

During the middle ages many diseases were caused by poor sanitation; the same conditions prevail even today in poor countries. So, composting toilets are given the responsibility to sanitize human excrement. They immobilize and destroy any pathogens (micro-organisms that can cause disease) and they are very good at it. The massive sewer systems in western society also deal with pathogens. However, our sewer systems waste a lot of water and they often contaminate the soil and ground water. Whereas composting toilets, when used properly, kill pathogens without the possibility of ground water and soil contamination. When it comes to our ailing fresh water supplies, a composting toilet may be just what the doctor ordered.

The main components of a composting toilet:

• a screened exhaust system – this minimizes release of water vapours, odors and carbon dioxide
• a drainage system – this diverts excess liquid (leachate) away from the composting organic matter
• a composting reactor – this is attached to one or more micro-flush or dry toilets
• an access door – this access will facilitate the removal of the end product (humus)

There is another version of composting toilets and they are called environmentally friendly toilets, or eco-toilets. They are portable and you can take them with for camping trips, hunting trips or stash them somewhere for disaster preparedness. They are very clean and hygienic when used properly. You place a biodegradable bag inside of them and then do your deed. This bag and its contents will take about 40 days to degrade in your compost heap. This way, when you are out in the woods, you don’t have to dig a hole in the ground to relieve yourself. Toilet paper is not included, so you may still be using leaves that are unfortunate enough to be within grabbing distance.

Composting toilets are just another way of composting organic matter that you can use in your garden. There are always ways to produce compost more efficiently through compost troubleshooting and composting tips.