Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Poo Bin
Due to the really rubbish summers that we have in the UK, we found that the buckets of poo on deck were not decomposing quite as quickly as we wanted. Visitors were beginning to ask what the line of double stacked buckets along the side decks contained and their faces were a picture when told!!! So we needed a different tack. Research showed that a hot compost bin would decompose the matter very much quicker and that these were used in the Scandinavian countries which are even cooler than here but where compost toilets really have taken off. We let our neighbour Sue buy one first, just to see if they worked!! And it did, so here is our new Poo Bin. The heat is created by the decomposition process and the bin is insulated to keep the heat in. We have to be careful to get a good mix in to help with the decomposition. We put in vegetable peelings, shredded paper/cardboard, food remains, bread, toilet paper, floor sweepings etc and of course the contents of our compost toilet. The temperature has to be kept above 30 degrees; there is a thermometer on top of the bin, alongside the airflow outlet. It means that the toilet can be emptied on a regular (weekly) basis rather than wait until the bucket is full and can be emptied when visitors are expected, an empty loo is a bit more palatable to some squeamish guests! Other bonuses are that we have cut our carbon waste a bit more and that we can compost the loo paper rather than burn it AND we don't have to spend £9.00 per bucket every time we needed a new one (we didn't, we improvised!). Now we only need one bucket - anyone want to buy a used bucket with lid - only used in the compost toilet once!!!
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I appreciate the efficiency & importance of the equipment Fran, other than that I am lost for words :)
ReplyDeleteMel - lol, I have actually had quite a lot of people email me about compost toilets and the practicalities of them, they seem to be growing in popularity. If you ever need further advice........xxx
ReplyDeleteWell I didn't expect that haha xx
ReplyDeleteChickpea - I didn't see learning about compost toilets on your bucket list! Xxx
ReplyDeleteSo now we know what you do with it all lol. Our caravan has a chemical toilet we use green chemicals but I do like hubby to empty and clean it every day...well, I do the cooking!! :-) x
ReplyDeleteKaren - I can see where your coming from with the cleaning. Definitely a blue job!!!! Xxx
ReplyDeleteHello Fran,
ReplyDeleteThis all seems most ingenious and, no doubt, energy saving and, we are sure, environmentally friendly but we have to say that we do not get very excited about the idea of a compost loo. Indeed, we have avoided such a device up to this point in our lives and we think that we shall continue to do so. We have never been the happy camper types and have avoided going or staying anywhere without a fully functioning bathroom. Still, it would be great to see you for the day!
My grand parents had an outdoor loo where you could sit above side by side wholes and go into the bucket below. He used to dig a trench in his garden, poor in the contents, cover with soil, then the following year he used it for growing things! He called it black gold.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I'm glad you are finding solutions but I'm not sure it would work here. Maybe I'm a paler shade of green than I thought : )
ReplyDeleteHi Fran, just wanted to say "HI!" but other than that I'm at a lost for words. I know that our daughter has been thinking about getting one of these. She would like a small off the grid vacation cabin, one day :)
ReplyDeleteWhen do we get to see you modeling your new hat?
Keep Smiling,
Connie :)
Hmmm, not sure what to say to that, other than I'm glad you've found a solution.
ReplyDeleteJane & Lance - I think your latest bathroom post is a lot nicer than mine lol xxx
ReplyDeleteDC - we are going to use it on the fruit trees, bushes etc still a bit squeamish on direct contact veg xxx
Jo - oh believe me, it's Pete that empties and cleans the loo and compost bin! Xxx
Connie - my son is getting married tomorrow so hat photos to follow very soon xxx
Jo - this post has definitely stumped some of my blogger friends! Xxx
Fran - well done you. I saw some seriously large composting toilet arrangements when I lived in Scandinavia - one built into a hillside would take a year's supply bfore needing digging out from the downhill, back door. Does your toilet use any sort of 'starter' or sawdust or something?
ReplyDeleteD.
Tigger's Mum - the toilet doesn't actually need a starter, but we do put sawdust in to soak up any 'liquid' that finds it's way through. We have also started using compostable bags to line the bucket, just to make it easier to empty xxx
ReplyDeleteI don't actually know how our compost toilet does its trick, but the decomposition occurs right inside the barrel that we turn after each use. We empty it maybe four times a year and take the compost up on the hill to enrich the forest plants. Maybe since there are only two of us it can handle it all. - Margy
ReplyDeleteMargy - ours turns too and there are only two of us, strange. If we left it to fill to capacity we would certainly need to empty it once a month. The bucket is 25 litres, what size us your bucket? Xxx
ReplyDelete