Humanure - Should we? Could we? Would we?
Moderator: Peak Moderation
Inspiring LongJohn! I didn't know rats ate poo though. I am at the wee collecting stage, the family find that disgusting enough. I was motivated by saving water (crime to flush potable water 30 litres a day for 2 litres of pee) and to activate my compost a bit more with this new "additive". Perhaps one day I will give the poo collecting a try, but wonder, has anyone ever had any trouble with local authorities when doing this kind of thing?
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fifthcolumn
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Yes it is. As much as a free market capitalist pig as I am I find it very soothing that we don't need to either manufacture nor BUY our fertiliser post peak.Sally wrote:It's amazing what it's possible to feel all inspired and enthusiastic about isn't it?
It would be delightful to get a mass-consciousness shift towards home veggie gardening along with recycling pee and poo and home based power. That would make things a hell of a lot more resilient than they are now and certainly go a long way towards staving off any kind of die-off we might otherwise be faced with.
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emordnilap
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This reminds me of the 'WW2' effort people talk about being required in order to deal with energy depletion - 'night soil' they called it.
LongJohn's story is an inspiration. We already pee on the compost/collect and pour and have been talking about a composting loo.
Could you use grass clippings as a 'ballast'?
Keep us posted, LJ.
LongJohn's story is an inspiration. We already pee on the compost/collect and pour and have been talking about a composting loo.
Could you use grass clippings as a 'ballast'?
Keep us posted, LJ.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
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RenewableCandy
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Hi LongJohn, your arrangement sounds very like what my dad-in-law and co. have at their Dacha. And, I can corroborate(sp?) your result: no flies, no pong, no worries!
It seems to be the fashion now for people who fell trees to chip the wood and leave it in situ (e.g. by the roadside): quite a handy potential source of Carbon for your mix!
It seems to be the fashion now for people who fell trees to chip the wood and leave it in situ (e.g. by the roadside): quite a handy potential source of Carbon for your mix!
I mentioned this on the growveg forum. Don't think anyone there will be trying it!
Me? Well progress is slow - so many other things to tackle right now, including all the marking that built up after I was off work with that ole flu bug....
But the plan is still there - and I have bought the loo seat ready for use!
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RenewableCandy
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emordnilap
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Re: Humanure - Should we? Could we? Would we?
We do. There's nothing simpler. Started over the last weekend, bucket, loo seat, basic plywood frame to support, sawdust. No flushing of loos for days now, saving water and leccy, saving the septic tank. In fact, nothing's going to the septic tank now.Humanure - Should we? Could we? Would we?
A few pallets for the triple-bay heap, couple of bales of straw plus grass clippings. There's something relaxing about the whole set-up.
Wonder how the neighbours will react.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Oh! Oh! Oh! You've beaten me to it! 
I'll get there - honest! Just, well, having been off work with 'flu for 3 weeks, then things have been mad here and at home catching up with what I didn't do then.... and the polytunnel to lick into shape.... (do you hear all the excuses...
).... and really I just haven't had the time or energy.
Like I said, I HAVE the loo seat ready to go. I also have the buckets. No sawdust yet. And the position of the pile has not yet been agreed.....
Have you been to the Humanure Forum yet? It's here
Main site with downloadable instructions for the humure toilet etc. is here
Perhaps next weekend?
I'll get there - honest! Just, well, having been off work with 'flu for 3 weeks, then things have been mad here and at home catching up with what I didn't do then.... and the polytunnel to lick into shape.... (do you hear all the excuses...
).... and really I just haven't had the time or energy.Like I said, I HAVE the loo seat ready to go. I also have the buckets. No sawdust yet. And the position of the pile has not yet been agreed.....
Have you been to the Humanure Forum yet? It's here
Main site with downloadable instructions for the humure toilet etc. is here
Perhaps next weekend?
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emordnilap
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- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:36 pm
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There's a smell in the bathroom now which couldn't ever be described as unpleasant - just not what you expect in such a place; I was at first suspicious but it's just the sawdust.
The advice is to completely cover the doings so in fact you tend to get through quite a bit of sawdust.
Just to fill you in on the physical construction of the loo, it's literally four walls just less than the height of the bucket and a top that is hinged onto the back edge of this box. Cut a hole for the bucket to protrude slightly. Position the loo seat over it, drill a couple of holes for the standard seat fixings and Robert's a parent's sibling.
Real easy carpentry but if you're still unsure, just use cheap plywood so it doesn't matter if you make a mistake.
Once your design is perfect, make the final thing and paint it, varnish it, whatever.
The advice is to completely cover the doings so in fact you tend to get through quite a bit of sawdust.
Just to fill you in on the physical construction of the loo, it's literally four walls just less than the height of the bucket and a top that is hinged onto the back edge of this box. Cut a hole for the bucket to protrude slightly. Position the loo seat over it, drill a couple of holes for the standard seat fixings and Robert's a parent's sibling.
Real easy carpentry but if you're still unsure, just use cheap plywood so it doesn't matter if you make a mistake.
Once your design is perfect, make the final thing and paint it, varnish it, whatever.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
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emordnilap
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Better to put wood ash directly in the ground as it's not really compostible.goslow wrote:didn't they use wood ash in the middle ages to cover up the doo-doos? i saw an ash midden at a museum.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Sewage solutions
Big issue,generally ducked at Soil Association and almost up there with ignorance of Haber-Bosch Process(making nitrate fertiliser with loads of energy).Try;
http://www.sas.org.uk/papers/2005/pdf05 ... ludge1.pdf
for sensible outline of work in recent years
http://www.sas.org.uk/papers/2005/pdf05 ... ludge1.pdf
for sensible outline of work in recent years