The humanure thread

Britesea

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another point I would like to make is that our aquifers are being depleted by wasteful practices, and peeing and pooping into perfectly good water (remember, before it hit your toilet it came out of the same pipes that provide your tap water) seems like a particularly wasteful practice. The other choices would be an incinerating toilet or a composting toilet.
 

rathbone

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FarmerChick said:
lol it is a wild thread in general

everyone tries to 'explain' why another finds it distasteful and has to put a label on why it doesn't agree with someone, yet I am wondering just who in the world truly would enjoy composting their own waste. There are SO many other options truly. But in the end, even human waste is usable to this world.
I can only speak for myself. I don't enjoy composting my own waste - don't even like the thought of it. But I produce waste every day. I am forced to deal with it. And like anything else in my life I want to deal with it in a way that doesn't leave a big, stinky, footprint ( or "butt-print" if you will) on my beloved earth. So my way of dealing with the fact of fecal matter is - to get over it. You mentioned that there are so many other options. Perhaps in some "green" city far from me, but here in my little town the only other option is to flush and wave goodbye - only to have it be sent through pipes to be chemically treated. I don't consider that an option.
Much like changing those cloth diapers - I don't think I ever got to a point that I enjoyed it. I did it because the child filled the diapers every day and they had to get clean somehow. As long as I am alive I will produce waste and as long as I am alive I will be committed to not soiling my earth. So for me, it is distasteful, but also necessary.
 

FarmerChick

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rathbone said:
FarmerChick said:
lol it is a wild thread in general

everyone tries to 'explain' why another finds it distasteful and has to put a label on why it doesn't agree with someone, yet I am wondering just who in the world truly would enjoy composting their own waste. There are SO many other options truly. But in the end, even human waste is usable to this world.
I can only speak for myself. I don't enjoy composting my own waste - don't even like the thought of it. But I produce waste every day. I am forced to deal with it. And like anything else in my life I want to deal with it in a way that doesn't leave a big, stinky, footprint ( or "butt-print" if you will) on my beloved earth. So my way of dealing with the fact of fecal matter is - to get over it. You mentioned that there are so many other options. Perhaps in some "green" city far from me, but here in my little town the only other option is to flush and wave goodbye - only to have it be sent through pipes to be chemically treated. I don't consider that an option.
Much like changing those cloth diapers - I don't think I ever got to a point that I enjoyed it. I did it because the child filled the diapers every day and they had to get clean somehow. As long as I am alive I will produce waste and as long as I am alive I will be committed to not soiling my earth. So for me, it is distasteful, but also necessary.
ratbone
I meant other options for composting. I own livestock. Tons of poop and that hits the garden. I don't need extra poop is what I was referring to....not the options of human waste disposal.

But it is still an option you choose. I still choose not to compost human waste.

good thing we can all do what we want huh

I have a personal septic. Mine is not being chemically treated tho every now and then I get it sucked out by the good septic guy LOL--where it goes from there I could care less.

but sure, if you find it necessary you go for it!


I never said anyone should not do it. I just said I would never do it.
 

OrganicKale

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Why am I getting the impression that people think it is morally wrong NOT to want to compost your own waste? And where I come from, people find excrement disgusting. That is not considered a sign of maladjustment; in fact, it is considered normal to find smelly piles of poop disgusting. It's not exactly pleasing to be around. If people want to play with their own poop, fine, but they really should understand why most people would not want to.
 

Bubblingbrooks

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OrganicKale said:
Why am I getting the impression that people think it is morally wrong NOT to want to compost your own waste? And where I come from, people find excrement disgusting. That is not considered a sign of maladjustment; in fact, it is considered normal to find smelly piles of poop disgusting. It's not exactly pleasing to be around. If people want to play with their own poop, fine, but they really should understand why most people would not want to.
Ummm, no one thinks that.
Information is being shared. That was the reason for starting the thread.
It is disgusting stuff, no matter the origin.
Many people feel that you put it in a septic, call a pumper every year or two, and forget about it.
There is more to the story.
Knowing what is happening to it from that point on is important.
 

Blue Egg Jo

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I don't like thinking about excrement (much less my own in fact) or being around it but I really don't like thinking about where that excrement goes and why it's not being put to good use. If I can use my livestock's poop as manure then I should try to do that with my own; but that's just me and everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

My SO and I are thinking about purchasing land and we don't know if we will find one with a mobile home on it (along with the septic already installed). Now my questions are: How much does it generally cost for an outhouse to be built? A ballpark range would be ok...I am just going to get the outhouse as a "front" for my humanure efforts; I really want to just use a sawdust bucket.
 

SSDreamin

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I knew a man who had the most beautiful Lilac bushes I'd ever seen. Deep green, huge blooms. Year after year. Begged him for his secret. Finally broke down and told me it was composted human poo. So, while I may not be interested in using it elsewhere, I know the stuff is great for Lilac's! I could see myself trying it on my other flowers too. I would probably hesitate too if somebody asked me what my secret was though :)
 

Emerald

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While folks may find the idea of having to deal with their waste distasteful, just think after SHTF what are they gonna do when a loved one passes away and there isn't any hearse to take them away and deal with the body.
 

Bubblingbrooks

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Blue Egg Jo said:
I don't like thinking about excrement (much less my own in fact) or being around it but I really don't like thinking about where that excrement goes and why it's not being put to good use. If I can use my livestock's poop as manure then I should try to do that with my own; but that's just me and everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

My SO and I are thinking about purchasing land and we don't know if we will find one with a mobile home on it (along with the septic already installed). Now my questions are: How much does it generally cost for an outhouse to be built? A ballpark range would be ok...I am just going to get the outhouse as a "front" for my humanure efforts; I really want to just use a sawdust bucket.
An outhouse can be as cheap as free, or as costly as you want it to be.
Its all in how you procure your materials.
Scrounging or buying.
 
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