Many people are put off by the concept of Composting Toilets. The reality is that a basic, home made Composting Toilet is beneficial in so many ways and not really much of a chore at all.What is so difficult about emptying a bucket covered in sawdust once every week or so?I have now been using a home built Compost Toilet for about four years now. It took a few hours to build, was extremely cheap, and takes up minimal space.
How To Build A Compost Toilet
At its most basic you are simply looking to build a box with a removable lid that has a toilet seat attached and a hole in it. Inside you will have a bin roughly the same height as a conventional Toilet.
A home made Compost Toilet can be any size you wish. Large or small it is totally up to you. Use your imagination and build something that will suit the environment in which you wish to use it. I built a fairly small one that takes up minimal space.
All you need to do is get a bin that has a removable lid. Build an open topped box around it that is fractionally higher than the bin. Place a piece of board on the top and cut a hole in it just a little bigger than the internal size of the Toilet Seat.
You then simply attach the seat and you are good to go (literally)!
It can be painted, varnished or tiled. It can be made to look very neat and clean indeed.
Using a Compost Toilet is then simply a matter of sprinkling sawdust after use. There are no bad smells and it is as comfortable as a conventional Toilet.
When emptying you simply make a hole in your Compost Heap, empty the contents and give the bin a clean out. If you have a Compost Heap that is working efficiently any dangerous bacteria will be rendered harmless in a few months. If you have any doubts about this leave it for longer until you feel happy that it is safe to spread on your soil.
Why You Should Use A Composting Toilet
Part of becoming more self sufficient is to save money and help the planet. A Compost Toilet helps to do both.
Not flushing away countless litres of drinking quality water every day will dramatically cut your water bill if you are on a meter. If you are not, then you are still taking a massive burden off the sewage treatment plants that are already at bursting point.
One of the main benefits though, is that of improving your soil. You are buying in food to eat and then giving away a fantastic source of nutrients for your soil. In reality you should be composting anything that will help improve the land. The nutrients in your waste are not to be overlooked. Urine is a fantastic source of Nitrogen and will do nothing but speed up the rate at which your Compost pile will activate.
Why not spend a few pound on a sheet of plywood, a bin, a Toilet Seat and a few screws and stop wasting such a valuable resource?