On our homestead, we have greatly reduced our water usage by eliminating the flush toilet. The idea of polluting fresh drinking water with humanure is an odd concept, but widely held as the only solution. At the same time, we have embarked on a process that builds topsoil depth and quality. By combining a sawdust toilet with a compost bin, we are reducing our “waste” footprint and creating valuable healthy soil.
A sawdust toilet is ONE of three components. The system will NOT work without all components, which are:
1) THE TOILET ITSELF. (A sawdust toilet is a collection toilet – the composting takes place in a separate outdoor bin.)
2) A COMPOST BIN (a three-chambered bin is recommended). See for example the Jenkins garden gallery and range of products…
…..or you can build them yourself as in this photo.
Off -Grid toilet Compost setup
3) COVER MATERIALS (such as sawdust, leaf mould, peat moss, weeds, hay, straw, leaves,or rice hulls). Cover materials are critical to the success of a sawdust toilet. NOTE: Food scraps, fats, oils, meats, and any other discarded organic material you produce should also go into the humanure compost pile.