Composting Toilets

This hub deals with a topic that many people are reluctant or embarrassed to talk about - human waste - and a technology to deal with this waste in a manner which benefits, rather than harms, the environment - composting toilets. Composting toilets are an important environmental technology that transforms human waste into a valuable soil amendment (compost), and they are an important alternative to flush toilets. Water is becoming an increasingly scare global resource, but with flush toilets, millions of gallons of good water is flushed away each year. Composting toilets rely on little or no water, and there is no waste to dispose of when the composting process is complete.

Modern composting toilets are easy and convenient to use. Manufactured models look quite similar to conventional toilets, although they are used in a slightly different manner. Sawdust, peat moss, or another "brown organic matter" substance is used to create balance in the composting materials. There are several different composting toilet systems available from many different composting toilet manufacturers.

As the video to the right discusses, composting toilets are not only safe for the environment they can actually help save lives by preventing contamination of water, a common problem in developing countries with inadequate infrastructure to deal with their growing populations.

For those accustomed to using a flush toilet, it may take a bit of adjustment to become comfortable with using and maintaining a composting toilet. Composting toilets require that users monitor the balance of materials within to prevent odors and moisture problems, and that they remove the finished compost at the end of the process. Although it may seem a lot easier simply to simply flush the waste away, learning how to deal with your own waste in an environmentally positive manner if not that difficult. It does, however, require you assume responsibility for the waste that you produce, and for some, it may require getting over what Joseph Jenkins has termed "fecophobia" - a fear of dealing with our own fecal matter.

In the attached videos, you will see information on how to use a composting toilet and remove the finished compost at the end of the process. As you will see, there is nothing "gross" about the process at all.

There are many different composting models available. Some of the most popular manufacturers include Sun-Mar, BioLet and Envirolet, but there are many other makers and models available. There are many composting toilet reviews available online, some impartial and some offered by the manufacturers themselves.

When shopping for a composting toilet, you will find that there are a variety of systems and prices available. Some composting toilets are "self-contained", meaning they are freestanding units that can be installed almost everywhere. Because their composting chamber is contained within the unit, they tend to be best for use by only one or two individuals. "Remote" or "centralized" composting toilets have a large composting chamber separate from the toilet part of the unit, and are suitable for use by multiple individuals.There are also composting toilet units suitable for RV's, boats and even portable composting toilets for camping.

Composting toilets may be too expensive for some who are interested in using one but can not afford purchasing a manufactured model. It is, however, quite easy to build your own compost toilet as the video to the right shows. These models are a bit more labor intensive and not as pretty as the manufactured models, and may not be right for everyone. But if you are looking to save on costs, and don't mind the additional work, you can build your own compost toilet for under $50.

In the video to the right you will see an example of an owner built composting toilet system. You can also read all about a homemade composting toilet developed by Joseph Jenkins here.