How to prepare your compost toilet for use – cover and soak material
If you have a DIY urine-diverting compost toilet or a ready-made one that doesn’t have a ventilation fan for odour control, then you’ll need to use a cover material and also add a ‘soak’ in the bottom of the solids container.
In this video, you’ll see the basic principles of what you need to do.
You can also find a more detailed discussion on the best cover materials for your compost toilet in this article.
Please note that the toilet mentioned and shown in the video is no longer made or available.
Hi! By chance, I found this site and really got inspired. The only question I can think of now, is how long it will approximately take for the composting process in the bin before it can be usel safely.
Best regards, Anders Englund
Hi Anders! Composting is a natural process and as such, the speed of composting will be affected by air temperature, the nature of the contents (carbon and nitrogen ratios), moisture levels and how ‘airy’ the contents are. It can be ready in as little as three months, but generally I’d leave it for up to two years to be considered completely safe. The UN guideline is two years, but that’s mainly for tropical climates where parasites are more prevalent.