Many people are becoming familiar with the movement to “go green” and one idea has really grown in popularity, and that is the composting toilet. Many tiny homes and camper residents use a composting toilet. It is easier in the long run to use and you don’t need to have a lot of plumbing installed. You can take your tiny home, van, or camper anywhere you want to go with a composting toilet.
So how does a composting toilet actually work?
A composting toilet uses evaporation and decomposition, two very natural processes, to get rid of the human waste, liquid and solid. Over 90% of our human waste is actually liquid, which evaporates into the atmosphere, while the remaining solid 10% is then turned into a natural fertilizer for a garden or for growing grass. This is similar to the way a regular garden composting machine works, except in a composting toilet, the natural environment is manipulated within the chamber of the toilet.
To ensure an odor-free operation, the composting toilet uses just the right amount of heat, oxygen, and moisture to break down the organic materials in a rich environment that transforms waste into a great soil fertilizer. This manipulation of the natural process does work to make sure that the bathroom is odor-free. Though it is good to go green and help the environment by getting rid of waste properly, no one wants a stench in their beautiful tiny home or trailer.
Basically, a composting toilet should perform three functions well:
1. Quickly compost the waste and toilet paper in an odor-free manner
2. Make sure that the compost is safe to handle by humans
3. Make certain that all the liquid has been evaporated
If you own a tiny house or live in another alternative manner, a composting toilet is a great way to avoid the materials, labor, and money, that traditional plumbing would cost, and you’ll also be a part of the solution to certain environmental issues.
Photo: Let’s Go Green
Source: How Composting Toilets Work
