Your email address will not be published. If you are thinking about setting up a system, you should read the Humanure Handbook, which has lots of awesome details about safety and compost temperature. If you want to waste money, it is convenient enough, I guess, but I can’t justify that when there are leaves everywhere. 2 questions: I have no idea if burning the waste is safe, but I would imagine it would be very unpleasant and smelly. Toilet paper is totally safe for a DIY composting toilet. (Also, the plywood pictured is very scratchy, so something else to keep in mind when selecting wood). We care for the needy in 3 small, rural villages. Is anyone using fine dry sand (I have a lot of 2 million year old seasand on my land) or any kind of sand instead of sawdust? Hope that helps! It’s time to start putting it all together! It will not break down and compost in the bucket or bag, because it needs air. Let me know. It really depends on how much use it gets. Do you find the composting toilet to attract bugs into your home? By Cathy Cromell, The National Gardening Association . As a side note, if you want to see what composting toilets look like in a real-life situation, this couple has posted numerous helpful videos on their YouTube channel, and they’re worth the look! Less hauling is always better! Once you put the cover material on it’s just like flushing as far as smell goes. You could also separate them which will make switching out the buckets a lot more manageable, and give you another resource for enriching your garden. You’ll also need a compost pile for “curing” the waste. My sister told me that solids (#2) and liquids (#1) can’t be mixed, for safety reasons. 2) do you have the bucket of cover material sitting by the toilet as well? In my part of the world sawdust is very hard to come by. I see you built the toilet, but have you actually used it? 1: Waste Buckets Coffee grounds are fine, but much liquid in a composting toilet will cause odor issues, so enough sawdust or other cover material would have to be added to absorb it all. DIY Composting Toilet. My question is, does it smell? Building a compost toilet is a good way to take refuse and turn it into a resource. The Humanure Handbook (available to read for free online!) I would like to have a 2nd toilet at the cabin. The DIY composting toilet needs to be emptied when it is full. I’m using sawdust but it’s not the finest sawdust so I hope it still works properly! Food scraps can also join the party, even the ones usually banned from the compost pile like bones (be sure you make broth with them first). If I can, how do I stop the used pellets, which have soaked the urine up, smelling of ammonia? I’m not sure if this question has been asked. The Humanure Handbook can also be downloaded for free here. I wish you all the best in you homestead adventure. Is this true? I’m not understanding the benefit/purpose of separating vs combining pee & poo. Every bucket-based DIY composting toilet design is based on the following materials but clothed differently for different tastes. But if you do have the desire to heal your patch of land, this change is a fantastic way to reclaim some nutrients and off-grid independence. I then cover with woodchips – twigs/leaves/chips from olive tree prunings in my case but can be anything, the more easy it rots the better. Screw a 2×4 at each corner of your plywood to create four legs. Predictably, the surface of plywood is not as “scratchy” as the chipboard alternative. Let us know how it goes. We have not used it long term. However I have not heard from anyone that does use it that it attracts bugs. Bartering 101: How To Trade For Things You Need, This self-proclaimed compost junkie employed a. But like Kathryn said, after it has been properly composted, it’s safe. We use sawdust, paper, wood ashes, and occasionally lime to keep it smelling fine. Humanure: The End Of Sewage As We Know It? If you are using ample cover material I cannot see how it would attract anything. Yes, you’ll want to move it to a larger bin with more airflow and add more carbon, such as straw or leaves. The following designs are not all bucket-based composting toilets, but if you’re a bit handy with the hand tools and paintbrush, you can easily take inspiration from these folks and design your own style of composting creativity. And indeed, if you are concerned with restoring the vitality of your gardens over the long-term, utilizing every bit of nutrient richness that your land produces means considering yourself to be a key part of the nutrient cycle. I’ve been told to use vinegar, but I’m concerned about killing off microbes. Sawdust is ideal, because it is fine, and absorbent. ^_^. You can see a similar design here in this tiny home. You can compost pet waste. 2 years for edibles. Plastic is cheap and easily sanitized, so I think that’s why most people use them. Thanks for the interesting project, Kathryn. Thanks. My post is filed under What’s New > Reduce Recycle Renew – Part 1 Also, free compost can only be a good thing for our people. mosaic pieced around this outdoor earth toilet, Worm Bin Essentials: Getting Started with Vermiculture, Check this link for tons of resources on using pee innovatively. Check this link for tons of resources on using pee innovatively. } Before using a bucket the first time make sure there is a few inches of cover material in the bucket. You’d want a cover material that’s abundantly available in the area. There are compost thermometers available to check temperatures. The best alternative to flush toilets are composting toilet systems. Composting toilets don’t require water so some people call them “dry toilets”. Holy moly! My question is, can I use the used cat litter in the same way and make compost? Any experience with this or information? Could we make our compost toilet moveable and instead of buckets just dig a hole underneath then bury it and move on when full enough? 2:if you store this for a year, should you keep a lid on the bin? So the people are traumatized and many have lost the motivation needed to provide their own necessities. I have a mission in Eastern Uganda. Place the toilet seat over your bucket or chair to finish your toilet. i was wondering as you say use a 3 bucket system….can I empty the contents into a larger compost bucket? But it’s created with a rubber tub in the bottom. Hi there, thank you for the info! Most of us were raised on flush toilets. If you don’t want to wait two years it’s still safe to use on non-food crops or orchards. Relearning this daily activity may take a bit of adjustment, but it works. 2) If there is no way for me to spread the compost (in an emergency situation) is burning the fresh or cured compost outside an option? If you would like to educate yourself on the problems with our modern sewage system, or if some members of your family need convincing before starting this ambitious project, I offer these three excellent documentaries: They challenge the notion that our modern system is safe, sustainable, or possible over the long term (spoiler alert: it’s not). https://consultbrian.000webhostapp.com/. Does it make a difference in smell and break down? You do not need to turn a humanure pile. "@context" : "http://schema.org", A DIY composting toilet takes human waste, and dry material such as sawdust, crushed leaves, or wood ash and composts it with straw at a high heat to kill potential pathogens. The DIY composting toilet will not smell if you have used enough bulk material. Jul 25, 2017 - Explore Homestead Houligan's board "Off Grid Bathroom" on Pinterest. One of the most popular, cost effective, and environmentally friendly of DIY toilets, a composting toilet is a great way to make the most out of all that poo. Materials you need: 2 wood boards ¾” x 10” x 18” (sides of the box) 2 wood boards ¾” x 10” x 19.5” (front and back of the box) 1 plywood ¾” x 16.5” x 19.5” (top of the box) 1 plywood ¾” x 3” x 19.5” (to be hinged to the top of the box and allow for bucket removal) Plenty of junk mail to go around. Many people are deciding to shirk the wasteful ways of the water closet and reclaim responsibility for their own waste … enter the composting toilet. Depending on your location, the shower can also be mad Upload a photo / attachment to this comment (PNG, JPG, GIF - 6 MB Max File Size):  (Allowed file types: jpg, gif, png, maximum file size: 6MB. I mean at all, or just a little. When your bin is full, let the compost cure for a year. a waterless toilet design that uses natural decomposition processes to dispose of human wastes The compost bin can take many different forms, but it must be built and maintained in a specific fashion to facilitate proper composting, lack of leaching, and healthy environments for those using it. Thanks for this post. The French music festival Le Son Continu uses compost toilets, and although after four days they were beginning to get a teensy bit ripe, they were by far the best bogs I’ve ever used at a festival. That won’t affect the beneficial microbes much. The urine should not be separated all the time as it helps with composting process. I haven’t heard much in regards to which sawdust is best, although cedar does have properties that make it take a long time to break down. i have got two questions about using the compost toilet: 1:can you use toilet paper and put that in the bin? I have no experience with anaerobic composting. Wood waste from chainsawing would probably be perfect for in or out. I have been thinking about building a composting toilet for my own use but I live in a small town. We don’t know how old the villages are, but they probably started up a short time after the AIDS epidemic and the massacre of Idi Amin. However, the wetter it is the more cover material you will need. A surprising amount of materials can be used including shredded junk mail, grass, straw, and even old cotton or wool. you can get compostible liners these days. You’ll need two holes in your flooring that open into the pit, one for the toilet riser to slot into and one for a ventilation tube. It uses a 50 gallon drum, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rqr1AbMgsU3vO7bFVobTrxZwljqbyc0RXfZflFVpb20/edit?usp=drivesdk, Thanks for this I found it really helpful You need to use an absorbent, natural material (like sawdust) to cover the contents thoroughly after each use. Skills such as a homemade composting toilet, handwashing your laundry, or living without a fridge seem extreme to most people. The latter requires a little more effort during potty breaks but starts off as a drier mix; the former requires less thought when nature calls, but needs a little more help attaining ideal moisture levels. Join the free email course and learn how to start gardening (even if you have a black thumb!) https://imoutreach.org/blog/conversion-of-pit-latrines-to-compost-toilets-in-papoga-uganda, Here’s another report that may be useful: http://www.ecosanres.org/pdf_files/CompostingToiletFactSheet2010.pdf, This is a fantastic and easy toilet. The trick with sawdust is it needs to be very fine to provide an immediate odor barrier. Building a simple sawdust toilet can be as easy as balancing a toilet seat over the top of a five gallon bucket, or a gorgeous handcrafted wooden work of art. Put the toilet paper in the bin. It’s entertaining, yet informative. Much, much better than chemical toilets. How on earth does number 2 not smell even if covered with sawdust??? Many thanks! 1) I was wondering if I could line the 5 gallon bucket with a liner or if that would interfere with the composting. I have heard of composting toilets, but it never occurred to me that I could possibly use the spent cat litter. Hi there… We too have a wheelie bin but as our second container. I’m not familiar enough with coal dust to know if it would work. It sounds like there may not be an understanding of what would be safe and what is not, and you’d need to do quite a bit of education around how to use them. We have no way to monitor this consistently in the outlying areas. I’m concerned that the MDF particle board may not be sturdy enough to support an adult’s weight and the movement of getting on and off it is going to break the screws/nails out of the board. At the end of the process you are left with sweet smelling, clean, and hygenic compost. It is very handy during the day, but at night or inclement weather we use a 5 gallon compost toilet with sawdust. But definitely grab a copy of the Humanure Handbook for details of how to use a composting system! The toilet is atrocious and I’m hoping to convert to a composting toilet. Microorganisms do not eat ash, and ash raises the pH of the organic mass, which hinders the reproduction of the microorganisms, which is bad. Or could I use fresh cut grass (I’m a gardener)also could I use wood waste from when I chainsaw my logs ? I'd like to receive the free email course. I know people have used peat moss and crushed dry leaves with good success. A DIY composting toilet takes human waste, and dry material such as sawdust, crushed leaves, or wood ash and composts it with straw at a high heat to kill potential pathogens. Would you ever consider making the switch on your own homestead? Composting Toilet Plans; Humanure Handbook (Free Web Version) Our big thanks to Nicole Martin for sharing her DIY composting toilet project with us! constructed my first composting toilet about a year ago based on the design in the humanure book by Jo Jenkins. So if you notice slow composting and are using cedar, maybe try a different sawdust. And since they are off-grid, they are ideal for the RV, barn, tiny home, homestead, and any household that is wise enough to punt their water-wasting flush toilet to the curb (or turn it into a hillbilly-style planter to horrify your neighbors) and embrace a new way of living. As for toilet paper, it helps offset liquid in the system, so just use normally and cover it with your cover material. Hello! Seal it up with silicon. Of course, the solids DO need moisture in order to break down, so leaving all the waste combined solves that problem without fuss. I’d like to understand.Thanks in advance. Here is a huge hint Always use a dry cover. Plywood (see Wikipedia) consists of full-width layers of thinly sliced board. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Thanks for the information you’ve provided here too! You are able to break down manure, food waste, and any organic waste and turn it into liquid fertilizer and biogas that you can use for cooking! The DIY composting toilet needs to be emptied when it is full. With the systems we already have in place, we probably wouldn’t use it on our homestead–but our personal philosophy is that we need to be able to build/fabricate/fix everything ourselves, if at all possible. Emptying Your DIY Composting Toilet. It’s for our horse field/allotment so would only get limited use. Thanks. Knowing how to properly build a compost toilet is great for potential survival situations. Wow that is very interesting. This is all new to me and i have a few questions, – What do you use/ do about toilet paper? You don’t need to use two different buckets, in fact using two will slow down the composting process. You can mix urine and poop in a DIY composting toilet. I think metal should be fine. The bucket is well scrubbed after each use, … Some families, however, have never built a latrine, and now that the villages are becoming more crowded, there is more danger that barefoot children will be sickened by fecal droppings. The nice thing is that it can be made for just a few dollars. A better solution if you’re in a park with pit toilets might be to dispose of it there. From my research I’ve seen that generally a plastic bucket is used under the toilet. 1) So,how do you turn the compost pile if it’s wet and Full of wet sawdust and hay? This is a great use of greywater, if you have the system set up for it. You’ll want four buckets because you always need to have standbys for switching out. we are thinking about making a composting toilet in our communal vegetable garden. Homestead Stories: What Color Is Your Bleeding Heart Flower? If you want a more in depth look at composting toilets The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins is the way to go. I built an experimental humanure toilet and used for a year on a trial basis (my bathroom is too small for two toilets!). Hi! Toilet paper is totally safe for a DIY composting toilet. Enthusiasts of composting point out that because the waste is treated on site there is a saving in water (using potable water to flush WCs is very eco-unfriendly! This may be a high tech commercial model, or it can be a simple as a bucket based DIY composting toilet. A three bin system works best with compost toilets. So it’s probably safer to now to provide composting toilets instead of more latrines. Keep it up! I find this design particularly unpleasant. This will allow you to quickly switch out buckets whenever needed. The book Liquid Gold ( http://www.liquidgoldbook.com/ ) is a great resource on how to do this. Ash IS good for the SOIL in your garden, but it’s bad for compost and should never be added to the composting toilet or outdoor composting bins. Author: Wren Everett // Last updated on December 21, 2020 8 Comments. Im usually in one location for less than a week. Add a few inches of your cover material (such as sawdust) and it’s ready to use! Sand will not break down the same way a high carbon material like sawdust, pine needles, or leaves would, so my guess is it wouldn’t work. Hi, Because the kit "Compost toilet without housing" includes the robust separator, a toilet seat, the required containers and associated parts. "description" : "printable copy of these instructions to put in your emergency supplies, or to take to the store with you", See more ideas about composting toilet, compost, composting toilets. Does this sound like a good idea? I can imagine a lot of folks in the prepper/offgrid/permie community would be curious to know more. Let me know thanks Paul. You can get composting bags and dump the bucket in one (you may not want to wait until it’s full depending on the size of the bags) and dispose of them in a dumpster. If you check it out in their video below, Doug and Stacy’s bathroom has a rustic, yet airy-feeling, featuring wooden seats and a hardwood motif around the entire bathroom. Very simple and it will be a permanent part of our emergency supplies. You are ready to (literally) go. I realize this might be an unpleasant process but I have my reasons. done properly there is no smell, something that surprises my guests! ), Blast From the Past? Your pictures show CHIPBOARD, which is probably the cheapest way to go, being inferior in strength and durability to plywood, given the same dimensions. Do you have any good solutions to this problem. For some reason, if it does not reach high temperatures it is safest to let it cure for second year. The Phoenix is an aerobic composting system that transforms human waste into a rich, well-stabilized mulch. Plan on having at least four buckets for every toilet you use. BTW, this thread has been most useful so thanks for taking the time to maintain it!! Editor's Note: Another variation of this system is the basic humanure composting toilet.Waste is gathered directly in the bucket and mixed with ample absorption medium, then composted in a hot compost pile. The cover material is the big key to making this system work. That way you have one to fill, one to cure for a year, and one to harvest finished compost. It is still in the thinking and planning stage. Many of those who divert urine do so because they are applying it to plants. Cornstarch bin liners are an example. Hi there, I’m using a wheelie bin for my compost toilet.. just wondering if I need to do anything once it’s full such as empty it for airflow or can I just leave it? 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