Composting Toilet — Report on 8 months full time usage

Neil

Observer
Hi Jason

I love composting toilets. Really. If I had a cabin in the woods then I would have one and make fantastic compost.

None of the reviews talk about having them in vehicles and I think this is the issue.

Interestingly one of them suggests that after 1 month you need to separate the old additions from the new as the old additions are good to go but more recent additions need to be dug out and kept in sesperate container for a few more weeks until its good to go.

One reviewer actually suggests that the best solution is to have 2 toilets and alternate between them monthly.

Sounds great.

Another interesting review suggests that you must never use any sawdust as it clogs them up.

.
Anyway, have you got that truck yet. If so we need pictures

Best wishes

Neil
 

DiploStrat

Expedition Leader
… None of the reviews talk about having them in vehicles and I think this is the issue.

Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/composting-toilet (https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/composting-toilet) They produced a ton of videos and went on to install a Nature's Head on their boat.

And what am I? Three years of use doesn't count? (And I even have a 917!) The sawdust comment is simply silly. Not sure what there is to clog unless you pour it in the urine channel. (Don't laugh, one young lady seems to have done exactly that. :eek: )

Finally, however long you leave stuff in a composting toilet it is far, far less vile than the output of a black tank. :)


Enough potty talk, go enjoy Sucre.
 

Neil

Observer
Sucre is fantastic. Probably the best city in south America so far. Clean, alive, friendly and pretty.

Might stay here for a few weeks.

Neil
 

DiploStrat

Expedition Leader
Sucre is fantastic. ...
Might stay here for a few weeks.

Only ever spent a few days there. (Part of that time was waiting for a new tire from La Paz.) We stayed in a nice hotel a few blocks from the main square. Great fun getting our truck (Isuzu Trooper) into the parking area. Singani sours on the roof top!

Beyond the weaving schools there are dinosaur tracks on a canyon wall. The museum of Bolivian history will introduce you to the idea of a president "de facto" and, of course, there is the silly miniature Eiffel Tower. ;-)

As it happened, we visited twice in rapid succession and discovered a wonderful guide, a young lady named Fanny. Sadly, I no longer have her card, otherwise I would send you her name.
 

ErnaC

New member
What nobody ever mentions when talking about these portable composting toilets, is that if you take a crap in it on Tuesday, and then empty the solids container on Wednesday - what you are emptying is NOT compost...it's feces.

It CANNOT be spread as fertilizer because it has not had the time (or temperature) for the composting process to destroy the bacteria and pathogens.

Composting takes time. If there is also temperature, then the time can be reduced, but even with temperature, it's not a fast process. That's my problem with these portable composting toilets - I can see using one for a few months, and then letting it sit for a few months for the composting process to run its course, then emptying it. But empty it too soon after using it, and what you are disposing of is NOT safely composted human waste:

http://weblife.org/humanure/chapter7_19.html



I'm also pretty sure it's not legal to just toss it in a handy dumpster either. Most states allow the solids from a composting toilet to be thrown away only if A) it's actually compost, and B) the trash is destined for a "sanitary landfill":

http://weblife.org/humanure/appendix3.html

http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/urbanenvironment/sectors/solid-waste-landfills.html


Uncomposted (or partially composted) human waste is sewage and so the normal sewage rules apply.
I agree with what you have said alot users thinks that their feces get decomposed to fast within a day which is not the case. It depends on lot of factor for your feces to get decomposed I have read a source https://topreviewedten.com/all-about-composting-toilets/ which tells the ways you can accelerate the process of decomposition, it has covered great points on this topic and on different topics too.
 

Coachgeo

Explorer
I agree with what you have said alot users thinks that their feces get decomposed to fast within a day which is not the case. It depends on lot of factor for your feces to get decomposed I have read a source https://topreviewedten.com/all-about-composting-toilets/ which tells the ways you can accelerate the process of decomposition, it has covered great points on this topic and on different topics too.
add heat (catalyst) to speed up the composting. Run a hot coolant line... or exhaust heat to the solids container.
 

Sitec

Adventurer
Run exhaust heat to the solids container.

I'm sorry, but I'm sat here giggling like a school kid because of my over active daft imagination... I'm imagining the 4" exhaust outlet entering into the 12" square box of our Natures Head in its small cubicle, and the devistation it'd cause... Imagine the wifes face as she opens the toilet door after a 400 mile journey!! ;) Sorry guys, I'll concentrate now...! On a serious note, yes you have a good idea. Certainly with a coolant line. Cheers, (and I hope some of you have similar humor to me at the picture of the explosive composting process!!)...
 

C p weinberger

Active member
I’ve been Reflecting on the moral outrage of dumping non composted feces in the dumpster/ trash As I am walking my dog in the dog park watching everyone throw their dogs recent solid contributions to the ground directly into the garbage...Wrapped in a plastic bag of course.
How many dogs are there in America? Compared to how many overlanders are dumping their pre-composted souvenirs?
Not sure if it makes a big difference when you look at the scale
 

grizzlyj

Tea pot tester
Plus disposable nappies.

Perhaps already stated on this thread but the Separett version comes with I think three containers with more optionally available so you can put a lid on a full one and keep hold of it until as much composting as you wish has happened. Perhaps long enough so it is actually compost, or safe anyway which in the UK I'm told is six months. Then put it on your tomatoes :)
 

d.brophy

New member
This one looks great, but doesn't have a handle to stir up the solids after each use...


The advantage of this system is that the bucket is just that - a bucket - so you can line it with a trash bag and disposal becomes much easier. The models with a stirring handle have to be inverted and emptied out into a bag. That process doesn't look fun.

However... I thought the stirring was pretty critical in reducing the initial smell and starting the composting process... Any opinions?
 

grizzlyj

Tea pot tester
Separett loos don't have stirrers at all.
I think wether the compost process starts or not is a moot point. The seperation of solid from liquid, plus solids on an organic moisture absorbing base to spread that moisture out and allow it to evaporate (sometimes helped by an extractor fan possibly) are the reasons for no smell IMHO :)
It does just boil down to a bucket and a funnel.
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
Lots of reviews saying the design does not actually separate urine from solids and also urine ends up outside the bottle. Plus no lid for the bottle. Consensus seems to be it was designed by a man without thinking of women. I would need to see one in person before putting down that much money.
 

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