Filed under: Waste + Recycling | Tags: composting toilet, flush toilet, sewage, toilet, water conservation
1. Do not be afraid.
2. Make your deposit as you would using a conventional toilet.
3. Use toilet paper in whatever unique way you have designed for yourself. The TP should then be put in on top of your deposit.
4. After making your deposit, cover it with sawdust until you can neither smell nor see it.
5. If the bucket seems full, get someone who lives here.
Above are the five instructions typed and posted above the composting toilet in my house. Well, it’s actually a bucket with a homemade box set over it, complete with a Habitat Restore toilet seat and a hemmed curtain around the bottom.
I know, gross, right? Even if pooping into a bucket may seem doable, just the thought of carrying that bucket out to the compost pile can do wonders for your appetite. Before giving up on the idea, here’s a few more pieces of info to digest:
- In a typical household, 40% of all the potable water gets flushed down the toilet.
- The ratio of water to waste in a flush toilet is 70:1 (70 lbs. of water to 1 lb. of waste!)
- Each use of a composting toilet in lieu of a flush toilet saves an average of 5 gallons of water
- Risks of leaching contaminants from decaying underground septic systems
Using a composting toilet is an interesting experience, to say the least. It’s rewarding to know that what would have become waste is instead becoming “humanure“, composting human fecal matter that will be used to fertilize plants next summer. (While some people do use humanure on food crops – including many conventional farmers – we decided that seemed dangerous and, well, just too gross.)
If the idea of pooping into a bucket just doesn’t jive for you – or you have no place to put the bucket once it’s full – there are many adjustments to a conventional flush toilet that can lessen the amount of wastewater generated with each flush – or you can purchase a low water volume toilet.
Source: The Humanure Handbook
–Jennifer
P.S. All the waste I created in the 24 hours I monitored went into the composting toilet pictured at the beginning of this post.
7 Comments so far
Leave a comment
J500 Media and the Environment 
So THAT’s how they got the title for The Bucket List! 😉
Seriously, very cool…the part about dumping the bucket doesn’t sound too fun, but at least it’s taking responsibility for all your personal crap–quite literally…I agree, though, it would feel weird dumping that on the food garden…I’d probably reserve it just for flower beds or the lawn…
Anyway, I’d been reading about these toilets, so it’s good to hear from someone who actually uses one.
–Ranjit
Comment by rarab February 26, 2008 @ 3:02 pmGreat post! I had no idea that something like this even existed in this day and age.
I work on the opinion section at the newspaper. A few weeks ago, we had a columnist write about using only one piece of toilet paper, so that has been the running joke for us, but this is so much better.
And so much more environmentally friendly than Barbara Ballard’s Lysol too. 🙂
Comment by Lauren Keith February 26, 2008 @ 4:35 pmWow.
~Sarah H
Comment by shemme February 26, 2008 @ 10:10 pmIn awe of Jennifer (in hip and hippy ways) and laughing at Lauren’s comment about the Lysol. So where does traditional poop go? You’ll see on Thursday in class – don’t miss movie day, if you can help it.
Comment by j500 February 26, 2008 @ 11:17 pmJennifer, you really are such a shining example of walking the talk. And thanks for giving us great interim steps along the way. I am at the low-flow, mellow yellow phase and don’t have any plans to go further anytime soon BUT you have inspired me! And composting toilets have come a long way, baby.
Simran Sethi
I have to say, while I helped make the skirt for the toilet, it was really my roommate who pushed the rest of us to use the toilet. you guys are so much more receptive than my family – all I got when I told them was “Gross. Really, stop talking about it, I want to eat later.”
Thanks for the support 🙂
Jennifer
Comment by jkongs February 27, 2008 @ 2:48 pm[…] Using a composting toilet? […]
Pingback by Disgusting ways to save the environment « J500/ES624 Media & The Environment March 1, 2008 @ 1:13 pmGeez. I knew you were weird, but I really didn’t realize just how weird! I love it!! We really must be long lost cousins. (really!) I’m so glad I found you!
Comment by mamasita May 8, 2008 @ 6:40 am