There’s a sign posted above the toilet in our first-floor bathroom that reads, “No Kitty Cavers! Please close the lid when you finish using the toilet.” Most pet owners attempt to keep their critters from splashing around in the toilet, but our situation is a bit more serious. We have a composting toilet. There’s no water; there’s no flush; there’s just a 12-inch diameter chute that drops straight in to the large composting tank situated in our basement. We’ve noticed that our cats, curious by nature, seem quite intrigued by the dark depths of our toilet opening. I love my cats, but if one of them were to climb over the lip of the toilet and disappear into the black beyond, I’m not sure I’d really want it back.

I often sense a mixed reaction when telling people about our composting toilet system. Their words convey interest, but their eyes harbor doubt. The truth is that’s it’s not all that different from any other toilet experience you’ve known: You sit down, do your business, and off you go. But instead of a flush, gravity takes over where your body leaves off. Your waste cascades down the toilet chute into the central composting tank. At 3 by 5 feet and nearly 6 feet tall, the tank is designed to accommodate the solid and liquid waste typically generated under full-time use by a family of four. Microbes digest the waste collected in the tank via natural decomposition processes. What comes out the other end is finished compost—an earthy-smelling, pathogen-free, soil-like material that can be spread as fertilizer on flowerbeds and around trees.

Maintaining our system is fairly simple. Wood shavings are added about once a week. The shavings provide the carbon required to offset the nitrogen-rich human waste, balancing the composting equation. A few quick pulls of a handle on the outside of the composting tank rotates a series of internal tines, turning and mixing the pile to keep it aerated. A hand-pump sprayer system helps manage any excess liquid collecting in the bottom of the tank, either by re-spraying it over the pile to maintain appropriate moisture or pumping it out for use as liquid fertilizer. Other than removal of finished compost—what the manufacturer claims may be a once every five years event—that’s all there is to it.

Now of course, everyone wants to know: What about the smell? I mean you’re sitting on a large pile of human waste; doesn’t it stink? Not at all. The system is designed with a fan that continuously draws air down into the composting tank. When you open the toilet lid, there is no trace of odor. And when you’re using the toilet on a warm day, the gentle breeze being pulled around your bottom and down into the unit can actually be quite refreshing!

Our system was manufactured by Advanced Composting Systems (www.compostingtoilet.com). Other reputable manufacturers of these systems include Clivus Multrum (www.clivusmultrum.com), SunMar (www.sun-mar.com) and Biolet (www.biolet.com). For information on composting toilet systems, check out www.oikos.com/library/compostingtoilet.

Composting toilets are not for everyone. Not all of us wish to live in such close proximity to our own waste. But perhaps that’s part of the problem:We want to live our lives without being fully connected to where things come from and where they go when we’re through with them. As for me, I’m content to collect my bodily waste in the basement tank, allow it to decompose naturally, then recycle it back from whence it came. I’ll just be sure to close the toilet lid when I’m done.

Have questions on green building or green products you’d like to see Jeff write about? You can reach Jeff at jfeld33@aol.com. —


What to do with your E-Waste

Electronic waste recycling has been receiving increased attention in the news because of the negative environmental impact it is having on the underdeveloped countries where it is sent.

A good option to recycle your old computers, monitors, laptops, desktop printers and faxes is to take them to any Staples store in your area. For a small charge the store will recycle your used electronics following safety EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) standards. All brands are accepted, regardless of whether the equipment was purchased at Staples. Cell phones, personal electronics, rechargeable batteries, toner and ink cartridges are received as well, some of them at no charge.

For information, www.staples.com/sbd/content/about/soul/environment.html.

-Annie Brown