The ninth of June, that was the day folks, and what a glorious day! To start it outside, overlooking my modest suburban expanse atop my most thrifty of thrones; perfect. It was the day that I pooed without a plop, people. Following the dry toilet method outlined by Joseph Jenkins in the Humanure Handbook, I have been pooing in a bucket for over a month. It is awesome, no smell, easy and cheap to start. Using a dry toilet eliminates problems associated with using a flush toilet while also providing a valuable garden resource. Here is a very rough outline of what the process involves, if you are interested in this process please get a hold of The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins. The book will answer all of your questions, I can answer some to if you leave a comment or email me.
You do your poos and wees in a receptacle and cover the deposit with sawdust, leaf mould, rice hulls; or anything of that sort that is locally available, rich in carbon and not too chunky. The less air pockets the better, this is what cuts out the smell. I use sawdust as it is abundant around Bunbury and very cheap to obtain.
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| This is what the sawdust is kept in, also showing some bogroll and fancy scoop for sawdust |
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| A full shit bucket about to be put on compost pile. Notice lack of unsightly sights, a full bucket also has no smell |
When the receptacle is full it is emptied onto a compost pile. The compost pile begins with a layer of about 45cm (18inches) of leaves or straw, this layer acts like a ‘biological sponge’. Its purpose is to provide somewhere for your first toilet deposit to sit and prevent any leaching of poos and wees. Three bays are necessary for a never-ending compost making cycle: One bay is getting filled, the middle bay is used to store cover materials such as weeds, straw, leaves, grass clippings etc. and the final bay will contain ‘aging’ compost. As the finished compost needs to be left to age for a year and it apparently takes about a year to fill a bay, as one bay is filling another is aging. I have only got two bays at the moment; it’s no big deal to add an extra one.
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| Compost bays made from scavenged pallets and star pickets. The bay on the left is the one going to be deposited on. The leaves are the biological sponge. |
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| First make a depression in the CENTRE of the pile |
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| Stay with me people, empty the toilet receptacles contents onto the pile |
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| Cover deposit with hay, straw, weeds, leaves etc. Remember if it looks or smells bad: cover it! |
Once the toilet receptacle’s contents are emptied onto the compost pile they need to be covered with straw or leaves or some kind of dry carbon rich material. The use of straw or hay traps air in the compost pile, this is important as aerobic conditions are necessary to achieve the temperatures that will kill harmful bacteria and any potential pathogens.
The receptacle is rinsed and the rinse water is put on the compost pile. The process starts again.
That’s pretty much it. As Joseph says the number one rule is that ‘if it looks bad or smells bad, cover it up’.
How about that? A simple technology that saves water, prevents water and land from being polluted via sewage and sewage ‘treatment’, has low start-up and running costs, is super energy efficient compared to flush toilet systems, captures ALL household organic waste flows AND then turns them into a valuable garden resource that can be used for growing food. Boo-ya!
NOTE: If you find yourself feeling utterly repulsed and/or queasy, faint or nauseas whilst considering the idea of recycling your poos and wees, I suggest you find professional help to aid you in discovering the root of your fecophobia. Once your fear is dealt with, you will be free to live in prosperity and harmony with the earth.
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