Composter, Not A Flusher

There’s something about me you may not know that might change how you perceive me. I’m not a flusher. I poop in a bucket, and when I’m done I cover it with sawdust. When the bucket gets full I dump it on a compost pile along with other organic inputs (kitchen, yard, etc.), then cover the compost with hay and clean the bucket with water and a brush. Then the pile heats up on its own to kill any pathogens and turn the resource (not waste product) of post-digested food back into soil. Like magic. This is my 21st year doing it.

I think the flush toilet method of dealing with pee and poop is weird; weirder than flushers think humanure composting is. And I’m 19 years beyond caring if they approve. I know it works, and without infrastructure or off-site inputs. To me, the concept of managing what comes out of our bodies in an organic, hygienic manner is only natural. The need to include complex, expensive systems is absurd. The idea of using toxic chemicals as part of the system borders on insane. The only challenge I’ve experienced over the past two decades has come from dealing with people and their cultural programming.

I’ve lost my tolerance for flushers asking questions as if this is something I’ve been doing for a few weeks, and for mocking it because it’s outside of their norm. I put up with a lot of that in the early days. As I mentioned, this is year 21. I’m happy to have worthwhile discussions on the topic, but I won’t be defending or justifying anything.

I choose to live my life not trying to conform to the herd. I’m interested in solutions, not squeamishness and cultural programming.  

I encourage you to educate yourself by reading The Humanure Handbook.

 

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. – Max Plank

Blog, Sustainability

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  • I’ve wondered about how to set up my first toilet like this. And if you have a plan of one or where you got yours. You can’t trust alot of Internet pros, but after 21 years you should know the inspection and outs.

  • The best next step would be to read the Humanure Handbook. There are plans for making your own toilet box. They’ve got a bunch of info online at: http://humanurehandbook.com/

    If there’s anyone near you who’s been using this system for a while, visiting them would be a great step. In practice the process is incredibly simple and straight forward. It’s incredibly useful for bush camps. There are a few links on our site to different toilet boxes at: http://www.jackmtn.com/aboutESSP.html#humanure

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