Last August, I wrote an article on compost toilets and how they can help towards a meaningful reduction in water consumption, prompted by the (at that time) unimaginable heatwave (40ºC) we had in the UK. Who knew that less than…
A few years ago, I was asked if I could install a Separett Villa compost toilet in a gorgeous garden room just outside of Oxford, UK. An initial site visit revealed that the owner had already asked the garden room…
In the UK, the average direct water consumption is 141 litres per person, per day, with up to 30% of domestic water consumption is used for flushing the toilet. The water used is drinking quality water and will therefore have…
Around a year ago, I wrote about using a very simple ‘humanure’ style bucket compost toilet [link to original article]. So one year on, how do I feel this really cheap, simple compost toilet has worked out and will I…
Navigating the the maze of local building control, planning permission and building regulations in relation to installing a compost toilet can be intimidating. What doesn’t help is that different regions may have different regulations (or different interpretations of regulations). In…
Night Soil, is untreated, uncomposted human excrement (aka raw sewage). It was commonly used as a fertiliser on farms in the United Kingdom until around 60 years ago. It’s still used in many other parts of the world as a…
Allowing small amounts of urine to be discharged into the ground, through a soak-away pit, is the usual way of dealing with the urine output from urine-diverting compost toilets. In the UK, specifically England and Wales, the Environment Agency, permits…
In a word, no! Let’s expand on this a little bit. The context here is for people in the UK who have a urine-diverting waterless/compost toilet on a narrowboat or wide-beam, and therefore will need to regularly empty the urine…
Compost toilets are an excellent option for people living on or using a narrowboat. Getting away from the chemical toilet reduces the horrible chemical smells, dependence on finding a suitable pump out station to get rid of the contents, plus…
Maybe you’re thinking about buying or building a compost toilet, but you’re not sure if you’re ready to make the leap and part with a lump of cash or spend a lot of time making something. What if you want…