Composting Toilets : An Explanation

Recent generations have probably never given much thought to a simple device called the composting toilet, and most, no doubt, would prefer not to linger long on the subject. But composting toilets have long been used throughout human history. They have a much longer history than the common plumbing and sewage systems that we have all become accustomed to using in our modern civilization.

Sometimes known as biological toilets and waterless toilets, composting toilet systems are useful when there is an urgent necessity to control the composting of toilet paper, food wastes and excrement. Composting toilet is different from the septic system because a composting toilet system is depended on conditions of unsaturated level such as the materials cannot be immersed completely in water. When operating to its full capacity, composting toilet is competent to easily break down the waste into somewhere about 10 to 30 percent of its actual volume.

Contrary to common opinions on the matter, or perhaps based on unpleasant experiences, composting toilets can be very hygienic, very clean and do not smell when operated correctly. They also help to save enormous amounts of water and in many areas of the world this is extremely important. In fact, in a global community where it is becoming more important to conserve water, these toilets could benefit everyone if used more widely.

For instance, consider a typical American family that uses a flush toilet. It has been estimated that a family of four can flush about 100,000 liters of water each year, just to deal with their human feces.
And, this water goes into the sewage system which has the potential to contaminate ground water sources. But, compostable toilets actually protect both surface and ground water supplies from this kind of contamination.

Humus is the reslting end-product. Known for being a stable soil-like material, humus is required to be either buried or it has to be properly removed by a licensed seepage hauler who is familiar with the state as well as the prevailing local regulations in the U.S. but in several other countries, humus can be used as an effective soil conditioner on edible crops.

When we discuss the primary objective underlying the composting toilet system, the answer is simple: to destroy or immobilize any and every organism that is capable of causing pathogens or any kind of human disease. Composting is a savior of sorts because it ensures that the waste products don't contaminate the immediate or distant environment or harm the human inhabitants in any way.

The system should naturally be consistent with proper as well as good sanitation so that it minimizes effectively any possibility of human contact with the kind of unprocessed excrement that is being treated, Minimizing odor and producing a dry end product that doesn't pose any kind of exposure to disease vectors like flies is a matter of importance as well.

The secondary objective, as we all know, is to transform the nutrients that are present in human excrement into forms that are stable because these are then fully oxidized and can therefore, be used effectively as a kind of soil conditioner for plants as well as trees.

Here are some of the main components of a composting toilet:
-a composting reactor that gets connected to one or more of the dry or the micro-flush toilets;
-a screened exhaust system so that odors, water vapors, carbon dioxide, and so on can be minimized;
-some type of ventilation so that oxygen is provided to the aerobic organisms that are present in the composter;
-a proper way to drain and manage whatever turns out to be leachate or excess liquid;
-process controls, like mixers and
-an access door that ensures the removal of the final end-product.

Most people in Western Society would be surprised to find out that there are a variety of composting toilets on the mainstream market. I am pretty sure most people have never even heard of composting toilets; however that may soon change. Composting toilets have the potential to save North Americans up to 100,000 gallons of toilet flush water per year and if you live in an area where you have to pay for your water by the gallon or cubic foot, you'll be saving a lot of money by using composting toilets.

The bottom line is that composting toilets are simply devices that facilitate the composting proces of human feces and this practice can be said to be as old as the hills. It is nothing more and nothing less than Mother Nature's way of recycling human waste components, just as it does with the waste of other living beings on the planet, and reintegrating it with the soil as part of the cycle of life.

With these tips, you have now understood what composting toilet is all about.


Diy Instructions can be found here.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-composting-toilets-work

Jay Bria