Composting Toilet

Bob B wrote:
.... and they claim that there is NO odor .... less smelly than a standard RV toilet.

There is plenty of odor, but the 24 hour fan blows the odor outside. That may or may not be good enough in an RV.

Just the facts, ma'am/sir :).

Yes, the smell does mean that urine that's been sitting around for a while is not sterile.

Yes, I have been composting since I was a toddler, and I grew up on a farm.

Yes, poo of ruminants and birds (chickens, cows, etc.) smells better than poo of omnivores like humans and pigs.

Yes, raw human poo is a health risk to humans, much more than the poo of wild animals. Google hepatitis + "night soil".

Yes, I am in favor of composting toilets! But you are not talking about composting toilets.

I am not aware or similar health risks from partially composted urine, although they would not surprise me. Many gardeners, including myself, use it in our gardens. Not on the lettuce and strawberries. I think it would be fine to dump a day's worth on a bush when boondocking but terribly rude to do it at a campground. The dogs pee there, and that is enough, IMO.

Most of the objections to a composting toiler can be answered by watching this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CdnVZkCKXU .....There are several other videos in the series that are VERY informative.

I don't have a composting toilet, but after watching several of the video's I would seriously consider getting one ..... especially if something went wrong with my current on that I don't feel like fixing.

I especially like the idea of doubling my gray water storage ..... and they claim that there is NO odor .... less smelly than a standard RV toilet.

I think many of the posts on this thread are just simply argumentative. The objective should be to discuss the subject. It appears to have transformed into an effort to convince everyone not to use the product. I see no issues with the OP posts on this subject. I am considering closing this thread, or deleting those post that are argumentative.

Wayne
Moderator

who said anything about dumping the solids at the campsite? i would bring my solids home with me and compost them at my house. i would never dump them out in the woods. ever.

i wouldn't dump a gallon of urine on a bush no. that could kill it, depending on it's size. do i think it's ok to dig a small hole away from vegetation and streams and dump a gallon of urine in it? yes. even according to leave no trace if you're camping in an area you can dig catholes or latrines. heck in colorado you can't even camp within 100 ft of a stream anyway. seriously if i'm tent camping for a week in one spot with someone else is it not just as good or better to dig a hole away from vegetation and pee in it than to pee all around on vegetation. part of leave no trace is not affecting vegetation.

of course it's not ok to leave 40lbs of poop at your site and no one ever suggested that.

yes i always haul my black and gray tanks to a legal dump station.

Most truck camper owners are enviromentally concious (not necessarially enviromentelists) we try to leave our campsite foot prints clean for the next camper. I'm sure that all of you would agree there is a difference between peeing on a tree when hiking or hunting and dumping the contents of your holding tanks on the ground... even the small amount in a cassette toilet or a gallon of urine from a composter.

The laws and regulations are changing:

Our municipal sewer system piping has been completely relined or totally rebuilt here in Oak Ridge to meet federal requirements. There was a mandated date that it had to be done by and the city got it done. They had to build some very large tanks to hold excess sewage during time that there might be too much for the pipe lines to hold.

The rebuilt system was recently tested to make sure that the sewage is no longer contaminating ground water or overflowing into our rivers and streams.

===================

Cattle lots can no longer "flush" the waste animal urine and poop into the creeks and rivers. Retension ponds are no longer just dug pits that allow the wastes to soak into the ground.

The way we used to farm isn't good enough any more. And cities can't legally dump sludge on farmers fields... too many heavy metals get into the food chain,



Questions:

Do you think that it is OK to dump a gallon of urine every day at the base of a bush at your campsite.

Do you think that it is OK to dump 40 pounds of partially composted poop at the base of the same bush or in the campfire ring at your campsite as you are leaving?

Do you think it is your obligation to haul it all to a legal dump station?

I have been impressed by the number of Californians that carry poop bags to clean up that part of their dogs waste.

worse: think of all the farmers spreading compost on their fields or gardens. somebody should make a law to stop municipal sludge trucks from spreading sludge on thousands of acres every day.

Somebody wanna tell all the woodland creatures to stop peeing and pooping in their forests because they are destroying the environment?

adambeck7 writes
"
why are you so down on the idea without trying either of the products linked in this thread? there's plenty of people that say they work great. "

Well, for starters, for me to try one of these products I would have to disassemble and discard working toilet in my TC. I can see an attraction to at least consider the compost option if I had a bus conversion and cheeped out by not installing holding tanks. Although I would lean towards a cassette toilet.
Space is very limited in a TC. I would loose my wetbath shower installing one of these units. This is not a practical method for most TCs , considering space restrictions. Plus ,I will not tolerate even a wiff of poop in my TC. Its my rolling bedroom / kitchenette. Niether of these 2 activities is enhanced by poop aroma.
Simply, this is not a practical option for most TCs. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

It makes my skin crawl to think of the number of people dumping "whatever" where ever.

"Just because, in my mind, it's all OK".

If that were truly the case, do you not think that RV's would just empty on to the ground. Accept for the p**p of course. The p**p would just go in a handy little box.

Wouldn't that make life a lot easier for all of us?