Modern Composting Toilets (Humanure Part 3)

Ed Begley, Jr. with a waterless composting toilet by Envirolet.

http://www.compostingtoilet.org/news/

A few weeks ago, my beloved wife decided that she would take a straw poll over the course of a few days to find out which of our friends would be willing to have a composting toilet in their homes. I believe she did this for a few reasons. First, I think she really was interested to see what our friends thought of the idea. Second, I think she thought it was fun to point out what she perceives as one of my eccentricities (i.e., my vehemence against wasting water). Third, with her mind already made up about the topic - "this is not going to happen in my house" - I think she wanted moral support to make a stand against this idea.

The vast majority of our friends, not surprisingly, thought I was a bit off my rocker and quickly, and vehemently in some cases, sided with my wife. The only issue, well there were quite a few, but the one I am going to address here today, is that almost all negative opinions were coming from the people who thought that to use a composting toilet one needs to poop in a bucket while trying not to faint from the gawd-awful stench with flies buzzing around your head. I think most had the idea of a nasty porta-potty jammed into the corner of their bedroom in mind while answering my wife's poll question.

So today I want to dispell at one myth. Yes, there are some systems of composting toilets that use 5-gallon buckets. No, they do not smell at all - well, they smell like sawdust. If there is a smell, you are doing something wrong. If there are flies, you are doing something wrong. However, there are many other systems that are slightly more to vastly more automatic and "hands off" than the 5-gallon bucket method.

Let me show you a few of these systems...

A schematic of one type of modern composting toilet system.

This design has a large composting chamber in the basement.

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/composting-toilet1.htm

Another modern composting toilet system.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sancor/ms10-300-2.jpg

This is a great video highlighting Envirolet Toilet Systems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ZU4KCmYFQ

Humanure How To

Due to the popularity of my previous post on Humanure, I wanted to share a few videos on the subject.  These videos make it clear just how easy it is to compost humanure.  I truly think we need to overcome our quite recently developed (in human history) fecophobia.  We need to be cautious that we properly handle human waste, but, as I have said previously, wasting clean drinking water and all the energy used to purify it just to flush away something that could easily and safely be recycled is a travesty.

Starting a New Humanure Compost Pile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BWc-RjuWbs

Emptying Humanure Toilet Receptacles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZTZTVv6kYs

Making a Humanure Compost Toilet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPg-n4czGE0

Book Review: The Humanure Handbook

 

  The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure

Now let's just dive in to the topic that is sitting right in front of us.  The topic no one wants to talk about, ever.  Poop.  Crap.  Stool.  Whatever you want to call it, everyone does it.  But no one ever wants to discuss it.  The Western world is very fecophobic.  No, I did not make up that word.  But the fear of our own poop, or someone else's, makes this a topic that most people would rather avoid.  Let's avoid, rather, the verbal constipation of this subject.  As a Family Medicine physician, I talk about bowel movements all the time, so this is not uncomfortable to me at all.

A quick definition for those who are a bit slow:  Humanure = Human Manure

Where to begin... I guess I'll start off with my impression of this book.  It was fantastic.  Never would I have thought that a book, a whole book, about composting human manure would be such a great read, and yet it was.  I kid you not.  Joseph Jenkins has given us a very well written book.  It combines history with biology with agriculture with up to date science, all in an interesting and fun to read format.

I firmly believe everyone should read this book.  Even if you have no desire to ever compost your own crap, this book will break down a lot of misconceptions about this normal body function.

For those who are ecologically minded, you may be shocked at the amount of environmental damage and waste of water we commit to by pooping in drinking water and flushing it away to be chemically treated and released.

For those who are interested in the concept, either out of curiosity or out of a desire to actually implement this, but who are fearful of disease and contamination, you will be delighted to know how safe and easy building and maintaining a humanure compost pile really can be.  You will read in the book who building a thermophilic compost pile will reach temperatures of over 160 F (71 C), and this is hot enough to kill all known human pathogens (diseases) within 24 hours.  But to ensure safety, the recommendation is to let the pile stand for a year before using it.  For those who are really paranoid, he recommends letting the pile stand for two years.  By the time you actually use the compost, the material is really just like a high fertility soil.  Another point to ponder for those who are fearful that they will die from some deadly disease because they composted their poop... if you are healthy (i.e. NOT SICK), then where are the deadly bacteria that will kill you going to come from?

For those who are just freaked out by the gross factor, this book causes you to challenge your personal biases against a normal human process.  I find it humorous that most gardeners jump at the chance to pay good money for composted, or even fresh, horse and cow manure, yet will stare at you as if you had a third arm growing out of your head when you mention composted humanure.

I will probably talk more about this topic in the future, since I truly think it will be a growing trend across the world, especially when the world starts to realize how little fresh water we have left on the Earth.  But I will save that for another day...

Let me end this post by listing some of the reviews about this book:

"This is a cult classic which might strike those without an outhouse as disgusting. But the methods outlined within have the potential to change the ecological fate of the world."

- New Yorker Magazine, May 22, 2009

"The handbook contains a lot of hard information taken from the author's humanure composting experience." "Jenkins provides a convincing case that human waste can and should be a safe composting material." 

- Mother Earth News

"We think the Humanure [Hand]Book ranks right up there with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring as one of the most important environmental exposes of all time." 

- HortIdeas

"...outrageous humor and brilliant, diligent research." "This is one book that could save the world!"

- Permaculture Drylands Journal

"...almost certain to become a classic in its field." "This book should be required reading...and not only for homesteaders." 

- Countryside Journal

"...a good read for anyone who is ready to entertain the possibility of more fully integrating him or herself into the ecosystem." "Replete with bad jokes, provocative queries, and practical suggestions."

- The Natural Farmer