How to Make a Composting Toliet

Our grandparents and great-grandparents used outhouses because they had no indoor plumbing. But today, composting toilets are a practical solution to water conservation, while at the same time providing a source of compost that can be amended back into the soil.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• One or more containers for collecting waste
• One hinged toilet seat
• Sawdust
• Compost pile, container or other bin

1. Use a container for collecting waste that is large enough to sit on. The container may be metal or plastic, but it must be sturdy enough to hold your weight. A five-gallon bucket or garbage can works best. Although your collector bucket may be any size, you will have to empty smaller containers more frequently. For aesthetic reasons, you may wish to construct a box from wood to house your container.

2. For the sake of comfort, mount a toilet seat to the top of your collector bucket or box.

3. Do not dispose of other organic litter in your composting toilet, as that can attract flies or fungus. Never dispose of inorganic litter in your composting toilet, except for toilet paper.

4. Keep sawdust handy to keep away bad smells. Every time you use the composting toilet, add a little bit of sawdust. This will also cover any unsightly contents.

5. As your composting toilet fills up, remove the fecal matter and take it to the composting bin. There the matter will quickly break down and can be amended into your soil.

Tips & Warnings

• Your waste container may be made of any material you choose. However, it must be leak-proof to keep the contents contained. You may construct your composting toilet anywhere you choose. Most people prefer to build their composting toilet either in the bathroom where a traditional flush toilet would go, or in an outhouse or latrine the way our ancestors did.
• The composting toilet is only to be used for fecal matter, urine, toilet paper and carbon-based additives such as sawdust. Adding other organic matter to the compost toilet will cause odor and pest problems in the toilet. It's always a good idea to be wary of adding fecal matter to a vegetable garden. Ideally, the composting process will break down any harmful microbes; however many professional gardeners specifically warn consumers away from using animal or untreated human wastes in their gardens.

Resources

• The Humanure Handbook, 3rd edition.