Humanure - Should we? Could we? Would we? MERGED

[BritDownUnder]

Can you put used toilet paper in a composting toilet? What about less than solid poops?

It is something I have been considering but my property is probably too small in area and close to the neighbours to do this. One might expect that sawmill sawdust would not have the additives that have been added to treated wood.

Once upon a time I used to collect my first pi$$ of the day in an empty plastic bottle and put it in a watering can filled up with water to make a diluted solution and use it for watering the hedge at the front of the house. My wife stopped me doing this after we got married.

[emordnilap]

I am hugely admiring of you Emordnilap and it's my intention to set myself up with a humanure toilet once the purchase of the land behind our house is completed sometime this Spring.

Thanks. It's become normalised for us and you learn how to deal with visitors: be up-front and honest, tell it like it is.

[emordnilap]

Can you put used toilet paper in a composting toilet? What about less than solid poops?

It is something I have been considering but my property is probably too small in area and close to the neighbours to do this. One might expect that sawmill sawdust would not have the additives that have been added to treated wood.

Once upon a time I used to collect my first pi$$ of the day in an empty plastic bottle and put it in a watering can filled up with water to make a diluted solution and use it for watering the hedge at the front of the house. My wife stopped me doing this after we got married.

Yes to your first questions. If there's other composting materials to go in at the same time (kitchen etc) they go in. Otherwise they go on regular heaps. It's a small faff opening the humanure heap as it's inaccessible to rats and birds so stuff it's only opening when all buckets are filled. Seven buckets, last emptying was 11th January, probably full by 31st March, so 10 weeks-ish for 2 people.

It doesn't smell; no-one need know (apart from the users).

Sawmill dust is best because of its moisture content. Workshop dust is flyaway plus, as you say, it may have been treated.

The result, after maybe 18 months, is a fine crumbly soil.

[dustiswhatweare]

I've been using 'eco-bogs' on my campsite for years. Punters poop in large containers which contain 25l potato sacks. A bucket of softwood** sawdust is in each loo stall, a cupful chucked over the 'produce' completely eliminates odors. Each day the containers are taken out and replaced with an empty one. The sacks are chucked in bins (with lid) and left for 2 years. Then the fully composted stuff is loaded in to a muck spreader for use on fields.
The bins are as far as possible only for pooping in, pee is catered for into basins, and piped in to a gravel bed (washed down with water from an IBC container collecting rain from the roof).
Works well. Posters all over the place explaining the what, how, and why of it all satisfy the curiosity of users, never get complaints, get plenty of compliments on the way it all works.
Got proper pp and all from the local council on the loo block (A converted movable stable), they seemed fairly switched on to the idea.

** Hardwood sawdust DOES NOT WORK. Produces a peculiarly odious odour, so use softwood sawdust only.

[emordnilap]

We have some hardwood sawdust but, because of its 'flyaway' quality, makes up only about 10% of the total sawdust used. Not noticed anything smelly, not since we started separating the pee. Now that would take the lining of your nose off!

[adam2]

I HAVE LOCATED THE OLDER TOPIC AND MERGED THE NEWER CONTENT WITH IT

[emordnilap]

I HAVE LOCATED THE OLDER TOPIC AND MERGED THE NEWER CONTENT WITH IT

I had it in my head it was RC. Turns out it was Keela. Thanks Adam.
The search facility is, appropriately, shite.

[RenewableCandy]

Not guilty