composting toilet question

[knuckledragger]

I know I just posted a question about outhouses built over pits, but I am trying to figure out whether I want to go that route, or try to build an outhouse used with 5 gallon recepticles for a composting toilet. If you build a composting toilet that involves the use of 5 gallon buckets, can you set it up so that you don't have to separate solid and liquid wastes?

[Jenn]

IIRC no need to at all- no more liquid than in my compost bucket where we pour undrunk milk (grrr ->DD^) sauces gone bad and some cooking liquids. Check out http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html to read that book on line for most correct advice.

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by Jenn

IIRC no need to at all- no more liquid than in my compost bucket where we pour undrunk milk (grrr ->DD^) sauces gone bad and some cooking liquids. Check out http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html to read that book on line for most correct advice.

Even better check out http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html which has the entire book (for free) online.

It works great (btw we separate our liquid by peeing in the woods, but I don't think you have to).

donsgal

[Heidi Overbeek]

I agree with everyone else - "Humanure" is where to start. What we do (and have for 8 months) is to use a $20 "hassock" camp toilet from Walmart (A plastic bucket w/ top that has a seat and an inner bucket inside.) We use coffeegrounds (used, and free from Starbucks.) to cover the deposits. They deodorize! Peat moss works well, but it isn't free. Dirt works, but it is too heavy for me to want to carry it. Daily in the summer and every few days in the winter I dump the bucket in the compost pile, cover it with either straw or leaf litter. Compost pile doesn't smell. And if the bucket ever smells - go dump it! (But it usually doesn't.) I sometimes wash it out with some mild soap and water, and leave it in the sun to deodorize.
Buy a toilet brush and hook it to the side of the compost pile. Use snow or water to scrub it with. Make sure everything goes in the compost pile - do not drip on the ground! We used free pallets and wire for the pile - in this shape l_l_l . One bay is for this year, then next year we'll use the other bay. Do not turn or aerate compost pile - you will aerosolize the nasties!
Cheap and easy!
Heidi