How to deal with... "waste"

[ducks4you]

The man who cleans out our septic system empties it on his fields, so I see no reason why you shouldn't pursue this.

 

[dacjohns]

You find composting toilets in national parks and national forests. I've used them in the Grand Canyon. A lot of people living of the grid also use composting toilets.

They are a lot different from the old pit toilets.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I had a outhouse before and it was fine. Didn't like it as much on cold nights, but there's ways of getting around that even. I would do it again.

A composting toilet would be the best solution.

 

[SKR8PN]

When I first bought this house it had an outhouse.
3 holes- no waiting, electricity and aluminum siding! It was a swoop-deluxe outhouse! Our property was the neighbor ladies mom and dads place, so there was even a side walk connecting the two houses, part of which went to our outhouse. When her hubby was still alive, he would walk all the way over here just to use the crapper! Not every day, but every once in awhile,when he felt the need to be neighborly! ANYWAY, I had to get rid of the old crapper when the foundation and the floor started to go bad.
I sure do miss that old crapper at times!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Thank you, folks!
The final composter that the authors used is a simple, wood framed, 3 bin compartment that they built themselves. They don't turn the contents, relying instead on rough & airy materials to trap air inside. They fill them over the course of a year, then let them age a minimum of 1 additional year. They basically break every composting "rule" there is, too.

They view the cabinet toilet as simply a collection device. A wooden box, a wooden lid with a hole in it, a bucket, some sawdust and a toilet seat & lid.

Here are some links to other folks who do this regularly.

http://www.thefourprecepts.com/waynesworld/humanure.html

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1945764,00.html

SKR8PN!
Ducks, I wouldn't use raw manure of any kind on fields, but composted? Sure thing
Dacs, unfortunately, the only porta-potties we have are the blue chemical ones. See below
Thank you sylvie, that chemical smell turns my stomach way more than poop of any kind.
WZ, it's not something I feel the need to do right now, but it needs thought and planning if you want to do it right, eh?
Yeah, okie, I'm not too keen on other folks poop (I don't know where they've been!), hence the master bath remodel. No one uses it but me & DH.
Farmerlor, to each his/her own. I promise I won't wave my toilet brush at you
M&TG, I think I saw that too. They used their greywater to water mesquite trees and only used something like 15 gallons of water daily. Showers, dishes & all.

 

[FarmerChick]

I won't be giving up my conventional toilet for any reason any time during my life. I have other ways to be progressive in my SS....the old toilet just doesn't need to be messed with from me.

I use low water flow type.

for me many things I can do to be more SS etc.....but I am just not ever giving up my good old bathroom the way it is now..lol
being a farm gal if "it" hits the fan for any reason, I know where the nearest bush is---I have no problem needing to improvise come a total disaster. But I will never willingly give up my toilet

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I'm with you there, FC. I mean, if it hit the fan tomorrow, I'd be squatting behind that bush with you. Well, not with you, but you get my drift The only problem with it, is long term. How long could you conceivably use the same bush without runoff polluting your water, without smelly build up & possible disease issues?

 

[FarmerChick]

oh you mean if I lost my bathroom for the rest of my life and was forced to hit the forest?

I thought we were "re-decorating" our bathrooms...LOL

I would make an outhouse type situation like most of all the people in need would be doing.

Bears, coyotes, deer, birds, squirrels, rabbits, racoons, moose, elk, cougars, etc. etc. etc. crap in the woods all the time...over and over again. I guess if I dig a deep hole, throw on some compost, cover with dirt etc. but move this hole frequently would be my best bet....and boil the heck out of water..lol


OK--those Meet the Native people we chatted about in another thread.
where is their porcelain God? They have been doing it for centuries without toilets I am sure. Maybe we should write them a letter? LOL-LOL

 

[tortoise]

My aunt and uncle have the first "skycrapper" on their house. It's like an outhouse in the house. It it on an exterior wall. Up a flight of stairs to an outhouse. Down below is on the exterior of the house and easier to deal with because it's not in a hole. My SO would never talk to me again, I think... but I wouldn't mind that at all!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

So, tortoise, what do they do with the stuff once it's full? Compost it, send it to a waste processor? Just curious.

FC, Bears & other various wildlife creatures all crap in the woods, but nature (or the animal) covers it up & then it composts. Just like on a compost pile, maybe just slower.
I doubt that those natives have our understanding of sanitation. For example, do you know why typical natives only use one hand to eat with? Because they wipe with the other.

Missionary friend of mine spent 10 years in the highlands of the philipines. They brought toilet paper with them to use in their composting toilet (Built onsight to help teach sanitation). The tribesmen asked them "Why would you want to keep it?"

They were pooping downstream of "their" water, and infecting folks downstream with serious illnesses. They knew not to drink poopy water, but they didn't realize that others would get their poopy water.

Why not just keep it out of the water to begin with?