Does Composting Toilet Work? Nature’s Head

I think everyone knows toilets have come a long one since the medieval times. Back then a toilet was essentially when it was a hole in a stone bench at the top of a tower allowing the excrement to drop down a good distance away from the user to be cleaned by a servant.

Innovations have been more drastic since from chamber pots to toilets that clean and perfume you once you are done with your waste release. One of these innovations is the composting toilet specifically by Natures Head. I picked this particular toilet because it seemed less like one of those bulky awkward composting toilets you run into at public parks or camp grounds. But those are a thing of the past. I’m here to answer the big question does composting toilet work.

Apprehension

A lot of people feel this in regard to composting toilets. It’s a wild idea to some. Having to handle your own feces rather than letting modern technology take care of it with the simple motion of reaching out to pull down the handle to flush your remains.

Different movements have led to advances in regards to these toilets including Van life, Rv Living and the tiny house revolution. In these smaller spaces, where you can travel wherever you want to go or live stationary in 50-200 sq feet homes, innovations had to be made to accommodate limited spaces, and a lack of a septic tank

Situations Will Arise

When is a composting toilet the proper choice? That answer fluctuates from consumer to consumer. Some want to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle by taking care of their own sewage. Others are diyers and don’t want to install a septic system or are self reliant and would rather not have a to reach out to a company to maintain their property. The van lifers may want to remain off the grid and not have to go to designated areas for sewage hook ups. There could be limited space in a tiny home, renovations to a RV that calls for a smaller toilet, or a small boat that has an even smaller lavatory. The list is endless.

The thing to note is composting toilets are now easily accessible and a viable option for consumers in a multitude of situations. Most importantly composting toilets do work and work effectively.

How do they work

The idea behind a modern composting toilet is quite simple. In most cases they have a element that diverts the urine from the feces. This is to prevent it from interfering with the process of breaking down the solid waste into plant fertilizer. The urine makes the conditions too wet while also adding too much nitrogen for proper composting to take effect without the addition of saw dust or peat moss. It also minimizes the smell associated with toilets from the two mixing freely.

The toilet typically has a vessel where the waste remains and is broken down by different means depending on the brand. This is typically an aerobic activity allowing the waste to be broken down by microorganisms that typically come in the form of good fungi and bacteria.

In some cases you will add saw dust, or some other carbon rich cover litter to the waste after using the toilet to help the process along, allowing for the feces to dry and the smell to dissipate quickly.

Lastly there may be an extractor fan element to further minimize the smell with the removal of stale air from the waste vessel as well as the bathroom in general. However the main aspect of composting toilets that separates them from standard plumbing is the lack of water. These are dry utterly dry systems

Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet

This is my composting toilet of choice. One must understand all composting toilets are not created equal and this particular brand has everything you need. The rolls roce of the composting toilet world.

The things that set this apart from it’s competition are as follows

1. Customer service is beyond amazing, any questions that will answer them, any problems they will fix them, a 5 year warranty. This is what i consider worry free.
2. It has a urine diverter that is incredibly easy to use however it is recommended you sit down to urinate, for me this means I just urinated in bottles so I have never used this feature but it is simple and prevents the commingling of waste
3. Masticating Handle- This is essentially a mixer that you can intimate without coming in contact with your waste, an essential feature as it allows airflow and a speedy break down of waste
4. Virtually no maintenance. You don’t have to add carbon rich material every time you use the rest room or perform any daily cleanings even tho I find it best to spray the toilet after use with a vinegar water and lavender oil mix. The only requirement is to empty it when full and to fill the bottom of the waste vessel with coconut coir, peat moss or the like to add with composting the waste.
5. Extractor fan to further mitigate smells.
6. Needs no hardwire power if you use a solar panel for the vent fan as I did.
7. Can be installed in less than half and hour with no special skills
8. Can be easily emptied when full without concern.

It’s an awesome set up and can be used as a permanent toilet or just a weekend warrior if you have it installed in an off grid cabin or something of that nature, How long it can go between having to be emptied varies based on how many users and how often it is used. I imagine it can easily last close to a month with just 2 patrons and far longer with one even with regular use.

The big thing to mention is there is almost no smell during and most certainly after you use this composting toilet. It will smell better than your typical facilities by a long shot. Another amazing thing to not is it can be installed as a wet bath making allowing for easier installation in tight spaces.

A Toilet to Remember

 I remember making a point that I didn’t want a compost toilet when moving off the grid. All I could think of was outhouse from old movies or from travels overseas. I’ve had to use the restroom in some strange locations if you have ever heard of a wag bag you know what I mean. However, Nature’s Head changed my feelings about composting toilets tenfold. They are sleek when compared to some others and don’t look like foreign trespassers in the bathroom as I imagined.

Composting toilets do work, they are easy to use, require minimum maintenance and are clean and safe. If you were on the fence I hoped this at least let you know you have options.

If you have tried a composting toilet or have an intention of doing so let me know about the models you like or disliked in the comment section below.