About compost- loos
Would like to share my experience. In
Matavenero, an eco-village in the north of spain, we had about 10
compost-toilets (for around 120 people) which work pretty good. A 2 chambers box. you use one side until it is full. Than you swap to the other side. While filling this chamber the first decompose
and before using this chamber again it will be emtied before. After 3 to 6
mounth decomposing black beautyful earth comes out, which has no
aspect of disgusting anymore.
This typ of compost-toilet works with an aerobic process, means that with the help of ocygene, bacterias change the shit ( with the paper, piss and dry dead organic material [ = mulch] together) into earth. (opposite of : anaerobic fermentation => produce metan-gas and smells for ammoniac). So a good airflow is wished, but no flys which could communicate between shit and food. A black painted tube of about 100mm out of the boxes straight up on the south-side provoces an airflow when the sun hits the tube. An other tube (or the lit of the toilet) are supposed to let air coming in but no flys. The box is stained dark and without light inside, flys don t enter. Outside the box is also stained so when it s heated by the sun , an increased aircirculation happens.
This typ of compost-toilet works with an aerobic process, means that with the help of ocygene, bacterias change the shit ( with the paper, piss and dry dead organic material [ = mulch] together) into earth. (opposite of : anaerobic fermentation => produce metan-gas and smells for ammoniac). So a good airflow is wished, but no flys which could communicate between shit and food. A black painted tube of about 100mm out of the boxes straight up on the south-side provoces an airflow when the sun hits the tube. An other tube (or the lit of the toilet) are supposed to let air coming in but no flys. The box is stained dark and without light inside, flys don t enter. Outside the box is also stained so when it s heated by the sun , an increased aircirculation happens.
My experience is that dead organic
material, like leaves or gras, have the rotting allready in and help the process while sawdust (of
pine-wood) containes a lot of natural resin what is used also as
wood-protection.
There are different ways to separate
the piss. I don t like them so much. When a compost-toilett is not
overused and the earth where the toilet stands on is not totaly
sealed (soil of pure clay) it works fine without separation.
Paper also disappears in the decomposing- process.
a technical problem by „loading“
the box can happen. Shit piles up in the middle under the shitwhole
and mulch falls allways to the sites so shit and mulch don t mix.
What helps is not to build too big boxes and also moving the
shit-pile sometimes with a stick to the sides.
This is what I shortly want to
contribute to the subject compost-toilet. Tamera for shure has
experience with more people, different design of toilet and also
with rainworms inside (they do good job if they like the conditions).
I sell compost-toilets since years and
I make the boxes out of pine-wood or plywood. They keep for quite a
long time, are practical, low-impact and fit into nature. The
seating-element you can take off and make your „business“ in
squat over the hole. Most higienic way!
Monte Sahaja/ Portugal. July.2012
after sharing experiences with some
other compost-toilet-users:
plastic-barrels are frequent used to
evoid the piss contaminate the groundwater. (?!)
Problem: Some people like to wash their
bottom with water and this gives too much liquid. Fermentation needs
just the right humidity. Too dry = >; fermantation stopps,
too wet = >; mildew.
too wet = >; mildew.
Oakleafs are good material to add.
3- 6 mounth = > pure black humus
around 10-15 people for one toilet.
For more people => second toilet
aside, not bigger boxes.
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