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11/30/07, 01:19 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: IN
Posts: 4,537
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Originally Posted by rose2005
It is amazing isn't it? 
I remember when we first started using the sawdust bucket...I was shocked at how well it worked and how it did not smell.
I certainly don't ever want to have to use a slop bucket as you describe, but the sawdust one works very well....and in a water crisis many people will be thankful to have one!
We make sure that we have plenty of sawdust and I keep spare empty buckets and sawdust buckets ready to go into the bathroom when needed. We have some nice lids that go on top...so they look ok, and I used a new bee-hive as the base with a regular toilet seat screwed on top so it all looks good, and the bucket fits inside well.
Have many people made a toilet as shown in the humanure book?
Rose |
Honey buckets. Great thinking.
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11/30/07, 01:38 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: North Central Mass
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Living Simply... Or at least making the attempt. Blessed Be.
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11/30/07, 01:41 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 6,761
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Originally Posted by lorian
Wow, I just want to thank everyone for this informative thread. I have learned so much! I will admit when I first heard about "humanure" I was a bit horrified but I was also willing to put aside prejudice and learn.
So much of what you said makes so much sense, I'm going to read the book and give it to my husband. I just dearly wished I had had this info. about 6 years ago when we had to live in a one room cabin with three kids and no plumbing! At that time we just went outside and froze our fannies off! Or we asked to use our friends bathroom (they were very generous!)
I am wondering though, does using this system make the bathroom stink more, at the time of use, because the waste does not fall into water, but sits on top of sawdust, until you are done and more sawdust is put on?
Sorry if that question is to *personal* but i'm wondering........
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We had to "evolve" as well...we started building our house about 4 years ago...we use to drive all the way back into town to use the gas station bathroom (blech)..then my DH started using a concrete block to sit on outside ( Of which I just couldn't do). Well the block got rather uncomfortable so he "invented" the plastic outdoor chair with a hole cut in the bottom... unfortunately that didn't work so well ( I have been told it pinched..lol ) But one day on here someone started talking about the sawdust toilet, I googled..and Dh built the La Grande PooPoo Potty and life is good...I guess the day will come when the plumbing is hooked up and the septic is in place but that day isn't here...and to tell you the truth..the toilet is the least of my concerns.. A "shower" in 36 degree temps last night was far more unpleasant... but all things worth having in life are worth sacrificing for...and I am determined to have the house of my dreams without a mortgage...and it sure is nice on the first of every month not to pay a bank for my house...
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Christanie Farm...living life as it was intended
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11/30/07, 01:42 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 5,240
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Originally Posted by hunter63
I made one and still use it and know of another that is used in a off grid, strawbale home, full time.
P.S. by the way, the strawbale house is owned and occupied by a Dr. and his wife.
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(Gasp, gasp, gasp). Who would ever think - a doctor living in "filth". And apparently he also lives in poverty too. And I'm sure the wife must be lazy as well as I'm sure their home is dirty. A doctor & wife using a "slop pot". Wow!
(All of the above said with sarcasm.)
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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania
"Everything happens for a reason."
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11/30/07, 02:00 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 6,761
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by rose2005
It is amazing isn't it?
I remember when we first started using the sawdust bucket...I was shocked at how well it worked and how it did not smell.
I certainly don't ever want to have to use a slop bucket as you describe, but the sawdust one works very well....and in a water crisis many people will be thankful to have one!
We make sure that we have plenty of sawdust and I keep spare empty buckets and sawdust buckets ready to go into the bathroom when needed. We have some nice lids that go on top...so they look ok, and I used a new bee-hive as the base with a regular toilet seat screwed on top so it all looks good, and the bucket fits inside well.
Have many people made a toilet as shown in the humanure book?
Rose |
The one my DH made is rather nice.. He used oak plywood and stained it to match the oak toilet lid ...he just made me a petite size one for the downstairs bathroom so I wouldn't have to go upstairs in the middle of the night..
funny the things I consider sweet and nice now...I can't imagine in my old life thinking that if Dh made me a sawdust toilet would be sweet...lol...life changes
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Christanie Farm...living life as it was intended
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11/30/07, 02:17 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,995
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith
(Gasp, gasp, gasp). Who would ever think - a doctor living in "filth". And apparently he also lives in poverty too. And I'm sure the wife must be lazy as well as I'm sure their home is dirty. A doctor & wife using a "slop pot". Wow!
(All of the above said with sarcasm.)
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LOL, I hear you.
They are "going green", and think the the Mercedes is running on bio-diesel.
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11/30/07, 02:23 PM
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Fair to adequate Mod
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Between Crosslake and Emily Minnesota
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Geez, I guess I should have checked in on this thread earlier. First let me say, I have regulated and managed sewage all of my career. I am a professional soil scientist, I have researched the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer since the early-1970s. My Masters Degree thesis dealt with the use of sewage sludge...which we now call biosolids...as fertilizer. I have spoken on the beneficial use of biosolids at national EPA and Water Environment Federation conferences. I have managed the largest biosolids recycling program in Minnesota for 13 years and currently I regulate Minnesota cities that process and land apply biosolids and septic tank pumpers who land apply septage. I am not bragging, I just want to establish the fact that I know something...I know a lot...about this subject.
Composting human waste IS a nationally-recognized method of processing...or should I say, pastuerizing...human waste. Large cities have been composting sewage sludge and individuals have been composting their own waste materials for many, many decades. Composting provides a high temperature environment that kills pathogens. Of course, if the compost temperature is not high enough, some pathogens will likely survive. So, if you do compost "humanure" do it at a high temperaure and you will have no problem using the resulting compost on food crops.
Everyone of us in the USA has eaten corn flakes or drank orange juice where some of it was grown with the use of human waste....that's a fact. The safe and beneficial use of human waste is necessary to have a sustainable environment. The EPA, USDA, FDA and all state environmental agencies support the safe and beneficial use of biosolids.
There is one thing that I have learned over my career. This issue is extremely volatile and emotional. You can cite all the scientific studies, research and positive experiences you want to these people and you'll never convince them.....so, don't even try.
Interesting factoid, the White House lawn has been fertilized with composted human waste...no joke, just fact. I can supply photos.
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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....
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11/30/07, 03:55 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 5,240
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Originally Posted by rose2005
Interesting post Cabin Fever.
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Yeah, and I'm betting a certain someone would tell Cabin Fever he doesn't know what he is talking about!!!!!!!! 
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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania
"Everything happens for a reason."
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11/30/07, 06:58 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: North Central Mass
Posts: 1,646
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Originally Posted by rose2005
Murron check out the link earlier on in this thread for the hunamure toilet. Lots of good info there.
Rose |
Thank you, Rose. I loved the site - found it last week, believe it or not! I'm excited about our new project. And DH is going to build the potty for us - he's thrilled to do a woodworking project!
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Living Simply... Or at least making the attempt. Blessed Be.
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11/30/07, 07:59 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SW WA
Posts: 10,357
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I have a conventional septic system, and I know how much trouble that system can be when it goes bad. I went through that a few years ago and it wasn't solved until enzymes were added to the tank. I wish I'd had a sawdust toilet then! I'm ready to set one up now...it'll be great to have if the power goes out (the well is electric). Does hay work to cover the waste? Don't have any sawdust on hand, but I do have hay, lots of it.
edited to add:
Have any of you used a bedside commode for the seat? I see these all the time at Goodwill and garage sales - it seems like it would be easy to adapt one to a sawdust toilet, and they are pretty cheap.
Last edited by manygoatsnmore; 11/30/07 at 08:02 PM.
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11/30/07, 09:46 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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I just got a load of coniferous tree branches that were run through a chipper- by far the best "sawdust" I've found yet.
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11/30/07, 09:59 PM
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Shepherd
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central NY
Posts: 1,658
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by manygoatsnmore
Does hay work to cover the waste? Don't have any sawdust on hand, but I do have hay, lots of it.
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We've used hay, but it's not as effective as sawdust or shavings for the stink factor.
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12/01/07, 06:20 AM
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Happy Scrounger
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 13,635
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dirtslinger
I just got a load of coniferous tree branches that were run through a chipper- by far the best "sawdust" I've found yet.
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oh my! what a great type of wood to use. We have a total of 4 firs on our 12 acres  but there are a lot of small sawmills around that saw mainly pine. would be really easy to pick up a truck load of shavings/dust great idea.
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"A good photograph is knowing where to stand. ” - Ansel Adams
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Rabbits anyone? RabbitTalk.com
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12/01/07, 07:50 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
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It seems I've arrived late to this thread, but I'll chime in nonetheless.
We have been using the 'lovable loo' for some time now. We think it's wonderful. It took a couple days to get used to not flushing it away, but now I cringe a little when I flush the toilet at work. The house we currently live in has a septic system, but we choose not to use it for our #1s & #2s. Like others, we too were surprised at how there is virtually no odor involved indoors or outside at the compost pile. I would highly recommend the humanure manual to anyone...it's available to read free online, or at most libraries. I think if anyone is interested in trying humanure composting, it's very important to read up on it and do it correctly. I would also caution you to not go advertising to the public that you do it. There are some pretty fecophobic people out there that would call public officials...I'm not trying to scare anyone, just a warning to those that have nosey neighbors.
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12/01/07, 08:16 AM
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Appalachian American
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW VA
Posts: 10,637
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Those of you who don't want to use the compost on your gardens my find it useful for building up low areas on your property.
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12/01/07, 08:23 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 47
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Absolutely...or for trees and flowers.
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12/01/07, 09:28 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: France
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The poop bucket. Safe or not? Icky or not? Compost or not? Ecologic or not?
Such a discussion this thread has provoked!
Can we go further....?
Can appartment dwellers use this, too, and what are they to do with the contents of the bucket?
Can the contents of the non-sawdust-using campapotty be poured safely onto a compost pile?
Has anyone considered digging a trench and simply putting the contents of the poop bucket directly into the garden, and then planting slow-growing brassicas first?
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12/01/07, 01:49 PM
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Nohoa Homestead
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: SW Missouri near Branson (Cape Fair)
Posts: 5,398
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dirtslinger
I just got a load of coniferous tree branches that were run through a chipper- by far the best "sawdust" I've found yet.
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Thats what we use when it is dumped outside. We have a lot of cedar that we ran through a chipper/shredder and it works great. We use sawdust for the inside applications.
donsgal
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Life is what happens while you are making other plans. (John Lennon)
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12/01/07, 02:51 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,995
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by susieM
The poop bucket. Safe or not? Icky or not? Compost or not? Ecologic or not?
Such a discussion this thread has provoked!
Can we go further....?
Can appartment dwellers use this, too, and what are they to do with the contents of the bucket?
Can the contents of the non-sawdust-using campapotty be poured safely onto a compost pile?
Has anyone considered digging a trench and simply putting the contents of the poop bucket directly into the garden, and then planting slow-growing brassicas first?
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Early on the Porta-a potty was used, w/ the blue stuff, and taken to the park (dump station), then dumped. This was just "Nasty", shades of the slop bucket, only blue nasty.
Another problem was that women seemed (not picking on women, just an observation!) to use a lot of water and tp. So a trip to town was an every day occurrence. (I know I gonna catch so "stuff" for this, but it's true.)
Part of the solution was only allowing 2 sheets of tp andf not putting anything in the "flusher".
( some day I'll tell you the story of the frozen pile of tp in the porta-a-potty).
Did try burying it a couple of times and that was also nasty, and not something "I" would do again unless absolutely necessary. (was at the time as truck broke down)
This is why "I" wouldn't pour the contents into a compost bin. I gotta believe that the "blue stuff" is probably worse then the "brown stuff", and is nasty.
For us the sawdust toilet worked out, still is and even DW has no problem with it.
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12/01/07, 02:59 PM
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Nohoa Homestead
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: SW Missouri near Branson (Cape Fair)
Posts: 5,398
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by hunter63
Another problem was that women seemed (not picking on women, just an observation!) to use a lot of water and tp. So a trip to town was an every day occurrence. (I know I gonna catch so "stuff" for this, but it's true.)
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I'm not sure what you mean when you say "use a lot of water". But I certainly do tinkle more than dh does (unless he is sneaking out and peeing off the deck and I'm not paying attention). Except when he is drinking beer, that is. LOL
Also, we use toilet paper when we tinkle, and men don't (we can't shake it dry, LOL).
donsgal
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