In message , David in
Normandy writes
Si says...
Simpler, cheaper and more reliable, if you want to reduce your mains
water usage why not build a composting loo and use none at all?


This would be a practical (and cheap) solution. We've got a
large garden and plenty of vegetable waste that could be
mixed with it. On the down side the Mrs would definitely
not be keen on the idea. Some ideas I can "sell" to her,
but not this one. Personally I've no problem dealing with
the poo or smell - I was brought up on a farm and also
worked on a couple of sewage farms during Summer breaks
many years ago when I was a student at college, so I've
shovelled more s**t than most people.

In use, composting toilet (in reality the part of it indoors is only a
collector) makes no more offensive smells than a flushing loo - ie when
a human is actually making their solid deposits.

Whereas with a flushing loo the flushing process removes the solids to
elsewhere (for others to deal with - not DIY at all with the
composting toilet collector the solids stop emanating a smell once
they're covered with shredded vegetable matter. In between use the
toilet produces a gentle aroma of woodland and is not offensive at all.
My better half was very sceptical initially and would only allow it on a
trial basis but now she's very happy we have the extra toilet available.

Joseph Jenkin's book (which is available for free download from the site
I quoted but is also available to buy in the UK) has much detail about
the possible human parasites/toxins in human faeces and how the
composting process breaks them down and renders them safe. As a result,
not only do we have an additional toilet we will also have (in another
year or so) perfectly safe to handle organic humanure to use in our
garden. No more need for chemical fertilisers either.

Incidentally, commercially made composting toilets seem much less
eco-friendly than the home-made one. They generally use electricity to
run a fan to remove the offensive smell (and need a pipe running up
through the roof) and dry the solids. They are also expensive to buy.

--
Si