Why did we build a Composting Loo?

We wanted to change people’s thoughts on composting loos; to prove that, when designed and used properly, they are naturally the best option to use when considering our environment. The thought of having an enviro-friendly option for waste fits so well with our eco-glamping and eco-weddings. Our aim was to have a loo that looked inviting, it didn’t smell, and it provided valuable compost for our fruit trees. With the hotter and drier summers, we have been having, we have become very water conscious. By having a compost toilet, the thought of not wasting any water along with the addition of gaining valuable compost for the garden, it was nothing but a win-win situation.

What type of loo?

From the old fashioned long drop to the modern devices, thoughts of composting loos can conjure up all types of images in one’s mind. Nowadays there’s a range of specifically designed composting loos commercially available to install into homes and offices. We initially thought we would go for this type of toilet, until we did quite a bit of reading, and it was the experiences of some of the people in the Christchurch earthquakes, that made us change our mind.

From the research we did, the best piece of advice from our Christchurch friends was, the less movable parts, the better. Keep it really simple. We had already had quite a bit of experience with human waste disposal having lived in a caravan for a year. We did our homework; we used a very basic concept that was modified and adapted by Dave to fit what was required.

How does it Work?

The composting loo is so simple. It’s been around for years. If you are out in the wild, and have to do your business, you cover it up and the earth composts it into the soil. There’s no smell, only when you’re doing your business. It’s the urine that gives off the smell as it is very acidic. The best way to avoid the smell is to cover it with wood shavings which absorbs the liquid and the smell. In fact, the key to operating a successful composting loo, is to ensure copious coverings of sawdust or wood shavings over all deposits. We use the wood shavings we buy for the chook house, from Farm Source (RD1) In fact the same theory goes behind using the straw and wood shavings in the chook house - it’s best to keep it dry, to keep the smells at bay. Keeping it so simple, we have framed the following instructions …

How do you use a composting loo?
Just use normally
as you do…
then cover with sawdust
Just a scoop or two
Thank You!

.

First things first - shifting the shed to house the Loo

This project was started during the first Covid-19 lockdown. The first step was to move the shed into the appropriate place – fairly close to the caravan so as to reduce the length of futuristic nightly excursions! We had originally bought this shed to house our landscaping gear, and our washing machine when we set our caravan up at the Riverhead Caravan Park in 2013.

Shifting our roaming shed onto it’s new platform.

First things first…

Dave set the shed into place ensuring there was a big gap underneath, as we originally thought we, (he, we? no he), would be emptying the waste from underneath the building. Having had previous experience in this undaunting task, the aim was to make it as simple, easy and as painless as possible! We have vivid memories of running the gauntlet to an outside toilet in a camping ground, with our shit trolley, then having to try and tip it down the loo, not a pleasant experience!

The Bucket Method

The double bucket, chamber system.

Just add toilet paper and sawdust.

After a good long think about it, Dave changed his mind, and decided it needed to be a quick and easy job to empty the waste bucket. He decided that a 20 litre bucket would be simple to use, and light to handle. He built the wooden toilet seat into a frame, and on the underside of the frame, he used part of the bucket lid, to create an insertion point that the bucket inserted into.

So that was our initial version. A bucket installed under a toilet seat. This is a really popular method right around the world. After looking at it a few times, we came to the same conclusion, there just wasn’t enough gap between the toilet seat and the bottom of the bucket, it looked as though the waste was about to come up and greet you as you sat on the toilet!

An extension…

Meantime, we had been away and stayed in another glamping site where a commercial composting loo was used. We had a very good look at it and decided, we preferred our system, it was far better and ours had no smell, other than the raw smell of wood shavings. On our way home from our little overnight stay, we stopped by at the Storage Box in Albany, where Dave was very quick to eye up a rather long bucket. With great enthusiasm, he reckoned he had figured out a way to extend the bucket!

It didn’t take him long to figure out how to seamlessly connect the two buckets, effectively extending the length of the loo chamber. Whallah!

How do we deal with the waste?

Firstly, we don’t see it as waste, it’s valuable potential compost! Dave has drawn the short straw on this one, but it’s not really a problem, he has the emptying down to a fine art. He removes the seat and shelf that it sits in, pulls out the bucket and takes it to the composting area where he tips it into a large round blue barrel. It will stay in the barrel for over a year, until it’s fully broken down, before it is ready to be used on the gardens.

Ventilation

We had read that this was important mainly for eradicating the smell as the number two business is in operation. Natural ventilation is the best, so Dave found a secondhand louvre window through Trade Me, and fixed it into the end wall. As this wall is right beside the banana trees, the look of the strong green banana leaves has added a sense of the tropics to the Loo. Steve our sparkie, wired a surplus fan we had lying around, fan into the light. This provides extra back up, so it automatically comes on if you need to turn on the lights.

Hand Washing

Especially with covid-19 around this is more important than ever. Once again after scrolling through Trade Me, Dave found a large pedestal basin. We thought it may have been too big initially, however we are happy with it – there’s plenty of room for this important item. Dave installed it, sorted out the door lock, added a large clothes hook to the door of which had come from the Cottage, until finally, all that was needed to finish the construction was a mirror.

The Mirror

I had found a brilliant mirror on Trade Me – it had that aged look and would be just perfect. I was outside double dipping – gardening and trying to bid on this mirror. I was delighted to see I was the top bidder and the time had run out. I carried on gardening, to only discover later that the airplane mode had been turned on by accident, and I had not won the auction! Don’t worry, says Dave, I will sort it out.

Sometimes when things go wrong, there’s a reason for it. We picked up a new piece of glass through Trade Me, just after the lockdown, and Dave quickly went about with his tools crafting a mirror frame. There were very few pieces of recycled kauri timber left over from building the glamping area and the Canopy, however he found some half rotten pieces and turned them into a stunning frame, emphasising the natural grain of the rotted timber when creating the framework.

Making the Loo look Posh

The Composting Loo ready for decorating.

We were keen to keep the loo looking rustic as well as posh. The combination of undressed timber with corrugated iron was a great starting point, and there’s nothing like a bit of whitewash to bring a dull shed to life.

We wanted a fresh clean look, so it was out with the paintbrush. Painting can be quite relaxing sometimes, so with an audible book going, I learnt all about the failings of the Trump family, by Mary Trump, as I navigated the paintbrush into all the nooks and crannies! To finish it off, we added a large laundry hamper for storage of loo rolls, a stainless steel bucket and scoop with wood shavings, a toilet roll holder, towel holder, rubbish bin and cane bin. COMPLETE!

Adding a few extra touches… we have a doterra essential oil burner to burn beautiful smells, (we are large fans of essential oils), a pot plant, and foliage and flowers for whenever there’s guests. Every now and then we add a few drops of essential oil into the loo chamber to add to the nicety of it all.

Our ComPosh Room

And, fully complete, we have named it our ComPOSH Room! We welcome you to come and visit sometime, to see it for yourself. Meanwhile, we actually have got into the way of using it, and prefer it by far to our normal water wasting flushing loos. Dave has created another interesting area alongside the ComPosh Room, that he is happy to show you, if you’re interested!

How we built our Composting Loo