Compost toilets and strawbale urinals

[pembs paul]

Does anyone have information on building simple compost toilets and strawbale urinals, for use at temporary work sites out in the countryside?

(I've visited the Envirolet site, but want to find out if anyone is using 'home made' toilets and urinals at work sites)

[Clara]

How temporary and for how many people? If it's not going to get much use and the compost won't be collected then I think a hole in the ground with whatever kind of seating arrangement you fancy and a lid should suffice, and as for a urinal, do you see that tree over there.........? I don't think your effort or the materials required to build a proper compost loo can be justified in a temporary setting unless its going to get a lot of use (festivals etc) or it's being built as a demonstration piece.

[pembs paul]

Hello Clara. Would be in use for six or seven months at a time. Waste could be left on site, to compost down for a year before being transported a short distance to be used.

[Clara]

OK then I had the wrong idea of temporary. The John Seymour complete guide to self sufficiency has a good description of his thunderbox loo (though if it is out of use for 6 months of the year, you should only need to build a one-hole model). A variation that my friends have is a two hole, but one hole that is a compost toilet for poo, and another hole that functions as wet hole for pee and as a bidet (in that they have a bucket and a jug by the side of it). The wet hole I think just soaks straight into the ground beneath, but gives the privacy that some people prefer (if they ain't country enough to stand or squat against a tree). If you don't provide this, it is inevitable that some people will pee in the poo hole, which isn't so good for the composting process I believe.

Those envirolet ones are crazy expensive and I think only aimed at people who want a compost loo in a fairly "normal" household environment.

[pembs paul]

Thanks for the info Clara. I like the idea of designing and building my own toilet, and I love the thought of none of my waste going to waste.

[turniplou]

Hi, we have just completed our dual chamber compost loo. it is dry and we will divert the wee into a strawbale. the bales have arrived this week, so just need to put one in place. We are a small kindergarten in he woods so they will be used all year round really. i itnend to change bale every couple of months and use it as a mulch for our fruit trees. We will also be installing little boy urinals seperately which are basicly buckets with the the fronts cut out and a hole at the bottom connected to a pipe going ino the bale or maybe a conainer to dilute and then use. We clad our toilet in pallets which were a nighmare to break up, some are easier then others and you end up finding unique ways to break the blighters!
the main structure is really well built from wood left over from our previouse construction. i intend to post more detailed pic on our blog site bluebellparentandchild.blogspot.com.
just the vent flue to attach now! hope this helps.