Why does everyone use composting toilets?

[dzl_]

Originally Posted by Dem0072

To be fair, an RV toilet is just dropping waste into a tank, a straight shot down usually
...
So I don't think in every instance over a gallon would be required.

That is fair, and I'm sure correct. I have no trouble believing RV toilets use substantially less than residential toilets. I do have a hard time believing they use 25X less water (1 cup) than a residential low flow (1.6 gal), and still doing an adequate job of flushing the waste.

But I do know human waste is messy, and part of what you get with a residential system is a larger bowl and surface area to capture what falls and make it go away. With an RV toilet you're stuck refilling the bowl with water and giving it a rinse scrub with a toilet brush after anything significant.

Yeah I would imagine neither RV conventional toilets nor composting toilets can compare in terms of ease of use, cleanliness, or prettiness to a residential toilet

And the 2 year argument for compost may very well be scientifically accurate. But I think the practical goal is to change the waste enough to get it to not make you pass out when you pull the bucket/bin and to get it to a point where you can just dump it into a bag to be disposed of.


Compost in the organic health conscious gardeners sense isn't really what people are looking to do, unless they're dabbling in earth ships (or farming martian dung potatoes to survive). They just want it to quit stinking, not spread disease or require unnatural chemicals to break down, and they want it gone when they tip it upside down. Pete moss, something to jostle it around, a way to ventilate odors and a collection bin that's separated from the general air supply around the device does that. And it requires zero water, so whatever level of a "flush job" someone defines as acceptable for their preference, it still uses 0.

I believe the '2 year argument' refers (like you said) more to the time it takes to create high quality, usable, nutrient rich compost without additional aeration or added sustained heat.



Composting toilet waste can be made safe and pathogen free in 2 days to 2 weeks IF you create an environment where high heat can be sustained (has to be sustained) and there is adequate aeration AND IF you don't continue to use it right up to the point of dumping your waste. If you let the waste compost for 2 weeks but then you take a dump 2 days before dumping it, your waste is 2 days old not 2 weeks old. So a secondary collection bucket or some method of resting your waste after using before dumping is very useful.


IIRC the temps for killing pathogens are ~120 degrees for 2 days or ~100-105 degrees for 2 weeks (but that's minimum, and assuming that they temperatures are sustained and even). So real world I would say x2 so 1 month at 100 degrees or 4-5 days at 105 degrees

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

I don't feel it's practical to set the standard for what belongs in the trash by excluding items that may hurt small children. Perhaps a better bet would be teaching one's children to avoid inherently hazardous activities.

In many parks, recreational areas, & municipalities, it's actually the law that you MUST dispose of pet waste in garbage containers - often the same ones used for everything else. In such cases, it could be argued that yes - waste dumps are exactly what they were designed & intended for. We can argue pet waste vs human waste if you wish, but it's a moot point. Both can be hazardous if common-sense precautions aren't adhered to.

If I had kids - and a penchant for negligence - I might find a bag of poo on top of the garbage pile a benefit. Perhaps the smell might drive the scamps away from legally (& not) disposed-of treasures that lie beneath the surface: broken glass shards, metal fragments, prescription meds, dead animals, live animals, rotten food, caustic chemicals, etc.

On a mountain hike in CO I was appalled at the amount of dog doo bags littering the trail.

[TheHubbardBus]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

On a mountain hike in CO I was appalled at the amount of dog doo bags littering the trail.

It's fun watching people in parks where the 'blue bags' are supplied. There's "The Look-Around", where they only use a bag if they think people are watching. Or the "Good Citizen", where they stand with a bag in hand while the act is being performed, only to re-pocket it before walking away. And of course - your favorite & mine - the "Stealth Drop", where they carry it a couple feet, set it down for a second to check their emails or tie their shoe, & then conveniently forget to pick it back up

[dzl_]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

On a mountain hike in CO I was appalled at the amount of dog doo bags littering the trail.

Some of the places I go hiking, the human waste (mostly tissue paper from girls peeing) is way worse than the dog poop, Its really lame. IDK how people dont feel trashy and embarrassed not (1) going more than a few feet off trail, and (2) either packing out the paper or burying it properly and (3) not cleaning up after their dogs. Its really shitty, inconsiderate and disrespectful.

[EastCoastCB]

Colorado's love of dogs is next-level. It reminds me of Holland. But the Dutch don't leave poop everywhere or let dogs into nice restaurants.

[PNW_Steve]

When I was doing my research prior to installing my composting toilet i was told that if I were to put it in the garbage they required that it be packaged in a manner that the solid waste folks could not easily come into contact with fecal material.

[o1marc]

Don't even get me started on the sidewalks of San Francisco.

[dzl_]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

When I was doing my research prior to installing my composting toilet i was told that if I were to put it in the garbage they required that it be packaged in a manner that the solid waste folks could not easily come into contact with fecal material.

That seems like good advice. Too many people only think of it from the standpoint of themselves and don't consider the effect different systems have on those around them or the environment. Ideally all of us who have or want composting toilets would have compost piles, but that is not always feasible or practical for full time travelers or city dwellers.


Composting toilet waste that isn't allowed to compost is just human sewage in solid form, if you have a good system it can be safe and pathogen free, but its still just waste/dry sewage if its just bagged and thrown in the landfill.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Don't even get me started on the sidewalks of San Francisco.

There's an app you can download that maps human waste in sanfran.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by dzl_

That seems like good advice. Too many people only think of it from the standpoint of themselves and don't consider the effect different systems have on those around them or the environment. Ideally all of us who have or want composting toilets would have compost piles, but that is not always feasible or practical for full time travelers or city dwellers.


Composting toilet waste that isn't allowed to compost is just human sewage in solid form, if you have a good system it can be safe and pathogen free, but its still just waste/dry sewage if its just bagged and thrown in the landfill.

The label "composting toilet" is a bit of a misnomer. Nothing compost in my toilet. The waste from the toilet is ready to go into the compost bin.

When I need to dispose of, not yet composted, material I follow the direction of the local health department and the local garbage contractor. I bag it in such a way that neither I nor the solid waste folks can easily come in contact with fecal matter.

[capnron]

In areas where it gets below freezing, not having to have black water tanks under the bus can be a big plus.

[gs1949]

Pre-composting toilet is much more accurate, but not so attractive sounding, so it wouldn't make captivating advertizing.

[Kubla]

Just get one of these
https://incinolet.com/

[dzl_]

I haven't looked at that particular toilet but one of the issues with incinerating toilets in general is there is often a 'cool down time' where the toilet becomes to hot to use for a period of time after incinerating. I can think of some situations where this might pose a problem


Other than that, I like the concept as long as they are not too energy intensive

[banman]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

On a mountain hike in CO I was appalled at the amount of dog doo bags littering the trail.

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

It's fun watching people in parks where the 'blue bags' are supplied. There's "The Look-Around", where they only use a bag if they think people are watching. Or the "Good Citizen", where they stand with a bag in hand while the act is being performed, only to re-pocket it before walking away. And of course - your favorite & mine - the "Stealth Drop", where they carry it a couple feet, set it down for a second to check their emails or tie their shoe, & then conveniently forget to pick it back up

Having been a CO hiker (trail runner) up till this years move to OH.

It's very common for my dog to pOOp! in the first 1/8th mile of the trail. I bag the poop and leave it on the edge of the trail and grab it up on the return -- no reason to risk breaking the bag on a 4 mile run!
This is pretty common practice -- sometimes someone else would have already grabbed my bag before I returned -- other days I'd pick up someone else's...

Scumbags are everywhere and not everyone follows the code...
And I can't say my dog never pooped on a patch of prickly pair cactus to where I thought -- I'm just leave that one there...

As for dogs in restaurants -- most of Colorado's dogs are better behaved than most peoples kids... If you don't like the local culture, don't go there...

[TheHubbardBus]

Originally Posted by dzl_

I haven't looked at that particular toilet but one of the issues with incinerating toilets in general is there is often a 'cool down time' where the toilet becomes to hot to use for a period of time after incinerating. I can think of some situations where this might pose a problem

Other than that, I like the concept as long as they are not too energy intensive

According to the FAQ, the aforementioned incarnation can be used even when incinerating, so your first concern is not an issue. However, as to your second point...

"Any qualified electrician can install your new INCINOLET, even if they’ve never heard of an electric toilet before! It requires a 20 amp dedicated circuit and a vent to the outside – just like installing a clothes dryer."

[gs1949]

How many solar panels would I need to run one of those 2 or 3 times a day? I might need a bigger bus.

[TheHubbardBus]

Originally Posted by gs1949

How many solar panels would I need to run one of those 2 or 3 times a day? I might need a bigger bus.

Reading the manual now. One standard incineration cycle is 75 minutes long, with the heating element alternating on & off to maintain an approx 1000F degree temp. The blower stays on long afterwards until cooled to 130. I'm thinking this is probably a pretty poor match for solar

If you were in a contest for the least efficient, most energy-intensive, and least eco-friendly method of dealing with poo, though... ding, ding, ding. Maybe that fission-powered crapper I've always dreamed of building wasn't crazy after all!

[TJones]

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

Reading the manual now. One standard incineration cycle is 75 minutes long, with the heating element alternating on & off to maintain an approx 1000F degree temp. The blower stays on long afterwards until cooled to 130. I'm thinking this is probably a pretty poor match for solar

But it would smell great!

Ted

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by banman

Having been a CO hiker (trail runner) up till this years move to OH.

It's very common for my dog to pOOp! in the first 1/8th mile of the trail. I bag the poop and leave it on the edge of the trail and grab it up on the return -- no reason to risk breaking the bag on a 4 mile run!
This is pretty common practice -- sometimes someone else would have already grabbed my bag before I returned -- other days I'd pick up someone else's...

Scumbags are everywhere and not everyone follows the code...
And I can't say my dog never pooped on a patch of prickly pair cactus to where I thought -- I'm just leave that one there...

As for dogs in restaurants -- most of Colorado's dogs are better behaved than most peoples kids... If you don't like the local culture, don't go there...

Seems kinda harsh. Was just stating my observations while visiting.