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Old 01-31-2016, 05:46 PM   #1
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Thumbs up Level Up Your Boondocking - Composting Toilet Install

With all the boondocking we love to do, those trips to the dump were becoming a real drag. My least favorite activity is personal time with the ol’ stinky slinky.

So a few months ago we started talking about composting our poo. And last week we decided to purchase a Natures Head composting toilet. What’s a composting toilet, and why would we ever do such a thing?

Well you can read about that, and the details of our installation on our blog here: https://boldandadventurous.com/Insta...osting-Toilet/

Needless to say, we're very happy with the end result. And yes; we've already "christen" the new loo.

Some photos of the end results:





The great thing about the composting toilet is no more flushing fresh water down the toilet (pun intended) - And now our stay won't be limited by how long it takes to fill our black tanks.
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Old 01-31-2016, 05:56 PM   #2
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Where does the TP go?
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Old 01-31-2016, 06:01 PM   #3
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Where does the TP go?
Where ever you want to put it. You can put it into the composting bin or into a separate bin. Up to you.
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Old 01-31-2016, 06:03 PM   #4
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It composts just fine. I am so looking forward to ours being installed.
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Old 01-31-2016, 06:09 PM   #5
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It composts just fine. I am so looking forward to ours being installed.
You are going to love it. We have had ours in for about 3 months, but only started using it the first of this month (we were living with various relatives during the holidays). It is so nice NOT to have to flush the toilet. Such a waste of water. Especially when you have to lug it from a spigot somewhere.

We think this is one of the best things we have done for our trailer. We just emptied the compost bin yesterday, so got almost 4 weeks. We could have gotten another week out of it, but the handle was getting hard to turn. Emptying the compost out of it was no big deal and I was surprised that there still was no smell.
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Old 01-31-2016, 06:15 PM   #6
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The TP can for right in the solids bin. We switched to wipes though. Becuase we have them on hand for the little ones. And we already have a diaper genie. It's a sealed bin for diapers. So we can just put them in there.

From what I have gathered from others, if you don't add paper, your compost will last longer before you need to empty and start a new batch.

The Wynns in their videos say it lasts them 14 days or 80 uses. But another couple we are friends with "Meantforadventure" has said they go 30 days between batches and that they put paper in the trash.

The upside here though, is even if you poo'd enough to fill it in a couple of days, you can dump it into a composting bag and throw it in the trash.
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:10 PM   #7
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Where does the pee go?

And its safe and legal to dump human waste in the trash? How do you tell if the waste is safe to dump in a trash can? If you fill it up fast doesn't it take some time to turn the poo to compost?

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Old 01-31-2016, 07:22 PM   #8
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The pee is diverted into the front container which is emptied into a toilet on an as needed basis ( you can buy an extra pee container if you know you aren't going to be near facilities). Yes, guys will find it easier to sit in order for the pee to go where it needs to.

I don't see human waste issue being any different from babies diapers that are routinely disposed in the trash. Or bagged doggie doo for that matter.
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:30 PM   #9
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And its safe and legal to dump human waste in the trash? How do you tell if the waste is safe to dump in a trash can?

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No on both counts
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:54 PM   #10
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Where does the pee go?

And its safe and legal to dump human waste in the trash? How do you tell if the waste is safe to dump in a trash can? If you fill it up fast doesn't it take some time to turn the poo to compost?

Kelvin
It's not human waste anymore, it is composted matter. It looks, and smells, very similar to something you'd buy at a garden centre to use on your flower beds.

Most municipalities do not allow for raw faeces to enter the garbage stream, with the exemption of diapers, dog bags and pet litter. But as we're not talking raw faeces here, we should not have an issue.
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:55 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by KJRitchie View Post
Where does the pee go?

And its safe and legal to dump human waste in the trash? How do you tell if the waste is safe to dump in a trash can? If you fill it up fast doesn't it take some time to turn the poo to compost?

Kelvin

Human waste when it combines, in water with TP becomes a bio-hazard and creates sewage. When it is separated, it can be handled and disposed of in an organic, non-toxic manner.

For starters, urine is sterile. And in some cases, yes you can dump it outside. It's just the same as going pee outside.

#2 goes into a composting bin with the composting material. It takes 6-8 hrs to start composting. So if it's been that long before the last use, you can dispose of it. You can purchase a "composting" bag, this is a bag designed to break down and compost itself, to place the humus in. That can legally and safel siy be placed in the trash. It will simply continue breaking down.

The pee goes into the front, a 2.1 gallon jug you can remove and take outside and dump or pour in your gray tank.





The American Water Works Association Research Foundation finds that over 30 percent of household water use is just for flushing toilets. We have all been taught the flush-and-forget system: We don’t see where it goes and we don’t have to deal with it (you know “out of sight, out of mind”). Wastewater treatment is extremely energy intensive.
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Old 01-31-2016, 08:00 PM   #12
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Here, watch a video:

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Old 01-31-2016, 08:06 PM   #13
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So what if you can go for 2,3, maybe 4 weeks with a composting toilet...how long can you go with gray water, or are you dumping that on the ground?
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Old 01-31-2016, 08:10 PM   #14
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That depends on if we are at a location that allows for that. Some places do, some places don't. If it's ok, then we dump gray. If not, then it stays in the tank. (I should say, this applies to dumping the pee/compost directly outside too).

Before this, we used catch bowls when we washed our hands or did dishes to flush the toilet with and extend our fresh water. So I'm going to say now 14ish days.

I plan on getting the black tank professionally cleaned here in another week. After that, I'm copying Jason and combining the black and gray.
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Old 02-01-2016, 04:24 AM   #15
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We'll be doing the same thing, combining tanks.

Dumping grey water is somewhat problematic, as the bacterial contamination of grey water can also put immense pressure on a sensitive environment, especially in the desert.

However, dispersed dumping via a drip hose for example, or while travelling, should not be an issue, especially ehen using biodegradable soaps.
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Old 02-01-2016, 04:49 AM   #16
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But dumping grayvwater might still be illegal even if using a hose dispersal method. Get rid of it at a dump statuion or where it us legal. Combining both tanks seems like a good solution. In my case that would over sixty gallons of gray. You could also dump the gray into another tank in the truck bed to extend the amount if time, using a macerater pump.
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Old 02-01-2016, 04:53 AM   #17
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Human waste when it combines, in water with TP becomes a bio-hazard and creates sewage. When it is separated, it can be handled and disposed of in an organic, non-toxic manner.

For starters, urine is sterile. And in some cases, yes you can dump it outside. It's just the same as going pee outside.

#2 goes into a composting bin with the composting material. It takes 6-8 hrs to start composting. So if it's been that long before the last use, you can dispose of it. You can purchase a "composting" bag, this is a bag designed to break down and compost itself, to place the humus in. That can legally and safel siy be placed in the trash. It will simply continue breaking down.

The pee goes into the front, a 2.1 gallon jug you can remove and take outside and dump or pour in your gray tank.





The American Water Works Association Research Foundation finds that over 30 percent of household water use is just for flushing toilets. We have all been taught the flush-and-forget system: We don’t see where it goes and we don’t have to deal with it (you know “out of sight, out of mind”). Wastewater treatment is extremely energy intensive.
Thanks forbthe info, i,m a lot more possitive to the toilet than before after reading your comments, i trust your on the road opinions,. I can now see how this can be an alternative to some who boondock or stay at cg with limited services. Thanks again.
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Old 02-01-2016, 05:13 AM   #18
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But dumping grayvwater might still be illegal even if using a hose dispersal method. Get rid of it at a dump statuion or where it us legal. Combining both tanks seems like a good solution. In my case that would over sixty gallons of gray. You could also dump the gray into another tank in the truck bed to extend the amount if time, using a macerater pump.
You are 100% correct of course. I do find it easier to deal with grey water than with the accumulation of black water. Grey water can be managed easier.
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Old 02-01-2016, 06:44 AM   #19
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It's not human waste anymore, it is composted matter. It looks, and smells, very similar to something you'd buy at a garden centre to use on your flower beds.

Most municipalities do not allow for raw faeces to enter the garbage stream, with the exemption of diapers, dog bags and pet litter. But as we're not talking raw faeces here, we should not have an issue.
I have been told composted or not it is still legally considered human waste and cannot simply be disposed of in the household waste stream. I don't know for sure, this is what I have been told when I considered putting in a composting toilet in a home.
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Old 02-01-2016, 07:21 AM   #20
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Level Up Your Boondocking - Composting Toilet Install

The unspoken answer to this argument is that the waste can be dumped anywhere "legally or illegally" so long as the disposer does not get caught.

Frankly, I am not a composting toilet fan, but imho, disposal is not a really a valid argument against their use.

Garbage is garbage, apart from toxic chemicals, (which poo does not have), there is really no valid moral argument against throwing a bag of composted or even partially composted poop in a dumpster. (Never to be thought of again... )


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