1.6 Gallons of Clean Water
That's how much water we waste with every pee and poop we deposit in a typical flush toilet! Think about how many times you use the toilet in a day! And how many people in your town, state, country are all doing the same thing!!
Did you know that we dump a lot of that poop (and all the toxins, drugs, and sanitary products) in the ocean?? Off-shore swimmers have encountered tampons, condoms and even chunks of poop!
Not everyone will be able to do a composting toilet, as you do need a place to compost the poop till it turns into nutrients for the soil. But many of us have enough space for a 4x4 pallet enclosure in which to place our bucket contents for a few months.
Did you know that we dump a lot of that poop (and all the toxins, drugs, and sanitary products) in the ocean?? Off-shore swimmers have encountered tampons, condoms and even chunks of poop!
Not everyone will be able to do a composting toilet, as you do need a place to compost the poop till it turns into nutrients for the soil. But many of us have enough space for a 4x4 pallet enclosure in which to place our bucket contents for a few months.
Eewe Gross!
Now, even gardeners are sometimes grossed out by the thought of humanure fertilizing our food... but did you know that much of the toxic wasted collected in cesspools from hog facilities is sprayed onto fields?
Besides, there are plenty of trees, shrubs, and pollinator plants you can use it on to regenerate earth! If you are interested in closing the cycle as a gardener, however, you can safely use the compost created from humanure if you let it sit inactively for 2 years or if you create a "hot pile", which means you create the right combination of ingredients to achieve at least 120F in the pile, which will kill off any pathogens!
Besides, there are plenty of trees, shrubs, and pollinator plants you can use it on to regenerate earth! If you are interested in closing the cycle as a gardener, however, you can safely use the compost created from humanure if you let it sit inactively for 2 years or if you create a "hot pile", which means you create the right combination of ingredients to achieve at least 120F in the pile, which will kill off any pathogens!
Let's Do This!
camping bucket with seat
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You can start your adventure with an outdoor composting toilet or try it on camping trips! When I go camping, I bring a 5 gallon bucket with lid, a fitted toilet seat, a container to catch pee, and some cedar bedding from the pet store. Why do we want to separate pee? Because it is heavy and stinky... it's the pee that will cause odor, not the poop. You can buy prefab diverters like those at right, or you can simply hook a plastic measuring cup over the rim toward the front
Every time I have made a deposit, I cover the poop and toilet paper with lots of cedar shavings, take out the pee container, close the bucket tight with the lid, then empty the pee into the woods and rinse it. |
prefab urine diverter
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You can then explore this option with an outhouse in your garden. It can be as simple as a popup tent for privacy and some pavers to create a solid surface. Build a simple box with a flipable lid. Cut a bucket-sized hole in the lid and screw on a comfy toilet seat. place a bucket inside and start it up with some amendment already in the bottom. To reduce critter invasions, you can opt to seal the bucket top, seat, and even lid with a simple window seal strip. You can get fancy, like the one at left, or go hillbilly, like the one at right.
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Your next project would be the actual outhouse. There are many variations of this concept, including a rear hatch to remove the bucket and refill the amendment, a water capturing system for the little roof, a solar powered vent. But honestly, as long as you have a bucket to poop in, urine diversion, and an amendment (peat, sawdust, wood shavings, cedar bedding or just dry leaves), you can enclose these any way you want. Personally, I like to create a critter-free zone, so I use window screen topped with 1/2" hardware cloth to close off all ventilation opening.
Another option is to cut out the entire bucket system and build the outhouse directly over one of at least two composting enclosures. Once the first one is full, you simply move the outhouse to the second one so the first can marinate for a year or two. |
outhouse over dual compost bins
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Once you have experienced composting toilets, you will understand that they are no grosser than flush toilets and septic systems. Having your poop mixed with other liquids and fester for months and years in a giant tank under your garden is not exactly sanitary.
You can replicate the outdoor setup inside, or you can spend thousands of dollars on a commercial composting toilet. I find that the hand build ones are much more sanitary. |
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Here's a little poop-entertainment for you:
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Get the Humanure Handbook by Joseph JenkinsFor details and ideas, you can check out or buy the Humanure Handbook that started it all! Joseph Jenkins, the author, also has a website humanurehandbook.com.
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