[Greenbuilding] Compost toilet

[Lawrence Lile]

>So, I gather:  the drum, the stabilizer boards, the fine oak derriere
rest,
the step for proper foot placement, the sawdust, the reading material,
the
top seal, and time?  

Yup, those are the basic ingredients. Incredibly low tech. Make sure it
is a plastic drum, the metal ones can rust out in a few years and they
are heavier.   A little dirt in the bottom might add a few microbes that
help things along.  Some earthworms might not hurt the process.  The
first 6" of the pile is pure sawdust, or even sticks, to absorb
moisture.  

I've used leaves, dried grass clippings, or perhaps even shredded paper.
I wouldn't try those things for your first go, sawdust seems to be the
ideal stuff. Peat moss would be excellent. Many hardware stores sell a
bulk hardwood mulch that is "reground" that is almost sawdust - you
suburbanites might resort to that stuff. 


>How long till the poop is compost, usually?  

 One year or so, but definitely through a summer in the hot sun.  I
never use it directly on a garden that has leafy or low growing food - I
use it on trees, bushes, ornamentals, etc. 

>Any pee in
there and, if you water your trees personally instead, what would you
suggest a female do?  

Yes we pee in the composter, and we put in toilet paper, but NO toilet
paper cardboard rolls, feminine hygiene products, kitchen compost,
plastic stuff, or anything else that won't degrade fast. (Kitchen
compost smells too bad for inside the house)  We put a scoop (one quart
yogurt container or small size coffee can) of sawdust for each use, be
it liquid or solid.  I also pee in the yard occasionally.  I have met
women who were adept at holding an ankle-length skirt at such an angle
to allow a squatting but discreet pee almost anywhere, but it is not a
universal skill.  If your yard is private enough, peeing directly under
a tree cuts out the whole barrel-middleman thing.  

Pee is wonderful for compost.  It is chock full of nitrogen, and your
pee actually has almost as much total solids as the other stuff, it is
just more dilute.  Add this high nitrogen liquid fertilizer to dry
sawdust, and you've got ideal compost material.  


>What do you tell your neighbors is in all those sealed
barrels so they don't tell the police you're making bombs in your
garage?

I tell them it is poop, if they ask.  However in the semi-rural area I
am in, a 50 gallon drum is a very common sight.  People use them for
burn barrels, for trash cans, for storing motorcycle parts, recycling,
and all sorts of things.  Nobody would ask questions about a stack of
four or five drums sitting around.  Now, the other stuff I keep in my
garage might arouse suspicion......

>So many questions, so little time . . .Martha Beddoe, who lives in
Suburbia

This can work in Suburbia too.  I've helped people put a 50 gallon
composter in their garage or basement.  Instead of having the barrels
sit around, you could dump out a barrel then cover it with other
compostable materials to make a hot pile.  Compost piles are probably
common sights in suburbia now, whereas barrels are a little more rural.


Lawrence