hello from Peckham

[peckhamcottage]

Just dicovered this site. We live in a tiny cottage in Peckham, and are constantly looking to make our footprints that little bit smaller. Hope to get some good ideas for new urban experiments and projects. Presently have a small vegetable patch and a few chickens (we may be able to offer some urban chicken tips). I am interested in Humanure and wondered if anyone has managed to compost toilet waste in an urban setting? I look forward to getting involved.

Steve (and Kat)

[Muddypause]

Hello Steve (and Kat),

Composting toilets have a sort of fasination for me too. I've sat on a couple, and they are not nearly as challenging as you might at first think, but I haven't worked out a way to install one in this urban setting yet. However, I did stumble across The Humanure Handbook online yesterday.

[peckhamcottage]

I've read this and I highly recomend it. There is everything you need to know about the subject in it. The whole book is free on-line as well, I ended up buying it as it is such a good resource. I think a saw dust toilet would be the best option in a small place without money to burn. Sawdust and chicken poo has given me great results with no smell, in theory it should be the same for humans. My only concern is falling out with my neighbours....

perhaps we could set up a forum for this

[ina]

Just don't tell your neighbours about it! I know that muck doesn't smell half as bad as people always think - not if it's been treated properly. (Ok, my experience is more with livestock muck...)

Anyway, welcome to the forum.

[Wombat]

G'DAy Steve (and Kat) and welcome to te site. Yeah, I want one too, but I don't know how the council would cope, they tend to go quite and mutter a lot when you hit them with something out of the ordinary!

Nev

[wulf]

Peckham? Is that Peckham, SE London? If so, not far from me! How much land have you got to work with?

Wulf

[Millymollymandy]

Hi Peckhamcottage and welcome to the site.

[peckhamcottage]

G'DAy Steve (and Kat) and welcome to te site. Yeah, I want one too, but I don't know how the council would cope, they tend to go quite and mutter a lot when you hit them with something out of the ordinary!

Nev

On your point about the council and compost toilets. I asked mine if they would be OK with me composting my own manure, I got a call back a few weeks later saying they couldn't find any laws to stop me (I think they looked pretty hard). Most councils in the UK alllow you to compost organic material at source, at the end of the day - thats all it is. In reality though I wouldn't be surprised if this activity got up their nose.

I will let you know if I take the plunge and find out.

Steve

[Ranter]

I'd be very interested to hear if you manage to get such a toilet installed & put to use. I also live in a very urban setting & am always looking for what I can do in this environment to help the environment as a whole.

Sadly, I'm currently surviving on incapacity benefit, so don't have money to invest in much more than seeds or (due to lack of energy etc) plug plants. Always hoping for recovery though & a composting toilet is something I'd like to have when I'm in a position to install one.

[Andy Hamilton]

Hi there Peckhamcottage and welcome to the site.

I wonder if our waste could be put to better use. If you were to use our poo for power rather than compost then a family of 4 could power 6 light bulbs for 24 hours on there waste (roughly calculated).

[Martin]

you could knock up your own "poo-power plant" - an anaerobic digester, producing "gobar gas" - then you run something like an old slow-revving Lister "stationary engine" on it, and power an alternator with it.
that's in theory, in practice, it could be a lot of fun, but as to whether it's going be worth it............

[gunners71uk]

delboy and rodney have some good composting gear up in uncle alberts flat in peckham

[ged.medland]

Hi there,
welcome to the site.I too am interested in Humanure!Will read the book and keep on being positive!I have chooks and ducks in an urban setting and grow veggies!Happy planting!Great folks on here!
atb
ged 8)