what are they?A compost toilet is a dry or waterless toilet, i.e. one that doesn’t use water to take the waste somewhere else; it also allows natural processes to produce useful compost, after a resting period depending on the type of toilet. There are usually two chambers – one in use and one resting. A typical toilet would use one chamber for a year, then change to the second chamber and allow the first to decompose for a year before emptying.They don’t smell, as long as there is a vent pipe, and a drain to take away excess liquid. A handful of a soak (straw or sawdust etc.) is dropped into the toilet after each use. This is because bacteria like to eat a balanced diet of carbon and nitrogen, and as human waste contains a lot of nitrogen, if they don’t get enough carboniferous material (like sawdust, straw, hay, shredded paper) they will give off excess nitrogen in the form of ammonia, which makes the loo smelly. Also, the soak allows oxygen into the pile, and absorbs liquid. This allows the pile to decompose aerobically to produce nitrates, phosphates and sulphates. Without a soak, the pile will decompose anaerobically and produce methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide – all smelly and not very useful. Human pathogens don’t like conditions outside the human body, so almost all will be dead after a few hours. Only one type of roundworm egg can survive a year-long decomposition period, but even though it is a tiny risk, we recommend using the compost on fruit trees and bushes, not the vegetable garden. what are the benefits?main benefits
other benefits
or you
can build your own. This will work out cheaper, and there is no
need for electricity in a basic unit. The components of a basic
unit are two chambers, platform, vent, hatch, and removable seat. using a compost loo: a compost loo is not a flush-and-forget system, it needs to be checked every day to see that no problems are developing. If necessary, an ingenious fly-catcher can be made from a glass jar and a little cone made from perspex. Ensure that there's a bucket with 'soak' (e.g. sawdust) next to the loo. To stop a ‘peak’ developing, it may have to be ‘knocked every couple of months with a rake or hoe either via the hatch or seat - this may not be necessary though. After the toilet has been used for a year, remove the seat and blank off the hole. Attach the seat to the second chamber. One year later, empty the first chamber and move the seat back. resources
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vent pipe: in this case vent pipes from each chamber meet to vent any smells above the gutter line
an aquatron unit; the urine separator can be seen on top
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