At First Sight
From the moment I stared at my own poo I realised how serious our relationship was going to be and I felt a profound sense of pleasure in knowing that I made the right decision.
Do.It.Yourself.
Money was not the issue when I decided to go for a bucket compost toilet instead of a urine-diverting composting toilet. The $2,000 savings was just icing on the cake. It was about ease of use AND cleaning. Diverting urine wouldn’t work for me (I’m sure most women will agree!) and men would need to sit to pee (Seriously?!) Most importantly, no composting toilet in the market had hole wide enough to avoid “skid marks”. Imagine having to deal with that with a non-flushing toilet. That’s why it was an Aha! moment when I found out about the humanure loo which was just a bucket in a wooden box with toilet seat. It was easy to make one, too! Equipped with the Humanure Handbook, a toilet seat, a 20L pail and some plywood, I proceeded to make my own loo and the rest is history.
Cleaning
Even with the bucket, “skid marks” can’t be avoided so I am now using compostable bags to line the bucket. To clean it, I dispose of the bag filled with poo, pee and covering materials (saw dust, coconut coir and coffee grounds) in an outdoor compost bin and rinse the bucket using a garden hose. The outdoor compost bin contains both human craps and kitchen scraps and they thrive happily together.
Composting humanure
The Humanure Handbook is the bible when it comes to composting and everything humanure-related. You can purchase the book online or read it for free on their website: https://humanurehandbook.com
Bucket liners are life savers
Using compostable bags is an environment-friendly and sanitary way of disposing humanure. I buy the 30 or 35L compostable bags from the Australian branch of BioBag. https://biobagworld.com.au
Disclaimer: Product recommendations on my website are totally based on my personal experience. I will disclose if I receive any commissions or products for free (I wish!)