Are you considering switching to a compost toilette in your home? While compost toilettes are on the rise, many people are very much uninformed about their benefits and their mechanics. CompostingToilet.org relates that there are 9 benefits to the individual and 7 benefits to the community and the environment for installing compost toilettes.
Water Use Reduction (20-50%)
A significant savings in water storage will result if the household is not on reticulated water supply. Combine this with wastewater re-utilization in irrigation and other household water reduction techniques and water storage costs can be cut by up to 60%.Independence
A household with a composting system is independent from potential problems of the waterborne sewage system. If future water shortage or system backup problems occur with conventional systems, there is not much that you can do personally about it. On-site composting systems are much more flexible, they are easier to fix and have less damage potential if operated incorrectly.Recycling
The composting toilet possesses the ability to recycle much of your household waste. Food scraps, paper, lawn clippings and grease from you grease traps and greywater systems can be composted back through the toilet. If you choose to put in a reed bed greywater systems, the annual clippings can also be composted. There is no wastage in this system.
Of course, benefits aside, what we most want to know about is the mechanics; that is, will it smell and be disgusting? And, is there a compost toilette that looks attractive enough to have in our home? We really appreciate the video below from Torg. He explains the basics very well and answers many questions.
Of course, if you’re not interested in building your own waterless toilette, then you can purchase one. We’ve heard positive feedback about the Natures Head Self Contained Composting Toilette and the design is the best we’ve seen thus far.
If you’ve installed a composting toilette in your home (not RV or camper), we would love to hear about your experience.