Small composting toilet

Latest Articles

Small composting toilet
Page Previous 1, 2, 3

Downsizer Forum Index -> Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Author

Message

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 11:55 am Post subject:

I'm still having trouble tracking down anything to do with UK regulations to do with composting human waste, I can't believe there aren't any.

For a small system I would make a lidded compost bin to routinely empty the bucket into, and I can add separated urine, dog waste etc. For our own benefit I'd like to do it properly but can't find anything official.

Does anyone know of any regs that should be followed or can I do what I want?

earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 12:07 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I'm still having trouble tracking down anything to do with UK regulations to do with composting human waste, I can't believe there aren't any.

Very little we could find when we were doing our planning app.

Vegplot is out and about today but I'll point this thread out to him when he gets back.

It was the least problematic area of our application, once planning had got over the shock that someone actually wanted to do it in their home.

EV

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 12:58 pm Post subject:

earthyvirgo wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I'm still having trouble tracking down anything to do with UK regulations to do with composting human waste, I can't believe there aren't any.

Yes please. There's regulations on composting animal waste and on septic tanks etc, but I can't find anything specific to composting toilets. I'm not sure who to even ask.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 1:47 pm Post subject:
I think the advice is to not put dog waste in any composter that is going to be used on crops. Make sure you allow for any leachate that is going to come out of the base of the pile.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 2:20 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

I think the advice is to not put dog waste in any composter that is going to be used on crops.

Make sure you allow for any leachate that is going to come out of the base of the pile.

I intend to use the compost around the base of trees so it wouldn't come into direct contact with a crop. Also, thinking about dog waste vs human waste, our dog is routinely wormed whereas I've not been wormed since I was a tiny child - who's the most likely to spread a disease? Admittedly I don't eat deer droppings and other assorted nasties.

I would make allowance for any leachate, and would aim to have none/as little as possible by covering the composter, but I don't know if that would meet the regs if any exist.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 6:51 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

earthyvirgo wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I'm still having trouble tracking down anything to do with UK regulations to do with composting human waste, I can't believe there aren't any.

Yes please. There's regulations on composting animal waste and on septic tanks etc, but I can't find anything specific to composting toilets. I'm not sure who to even ask.

It's down to the Environment Agency and their take on it as long as it's for residential purposes they don't want to know - just go ahead and do it. All we needed to show was how we dealt with the wet waste (urine) and for that simply stated that we were going to use a soakaway.

Building regs were a little more inquisitive and were asking for technical specification of ready made loos but they're happy as long as the EA were.

In a nutshell there isn't a problem for private residential use.

To quote the EA

Quote:

Composting toilets use natural processes to convert waste matter into compost. They are useful at remote sites, such as nature reserves, where there is no public sewer or mains water supply. They may require maintenance and the addition of materials such as sawdust to aid the composting process. Some may produce concentrated fluid fertiliser or dry compost for use. These should not be discharged to a watercourse.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 10:24 am Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Building regs were a little more inquisitive and were asking for technical specification of ready made loos but they're happy as long as the EA were.

Did you have to submit plans with a ready made loo in the end or have you given details of a home made one? (This is a problem I will be coming up against shortly.)

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 11:07 am Post subject:

cassy wrote:

vegplot wrote:

Building regs were a little more inquisitive and were asking for technical specification of ready made loos but they're happy as long as the EA were.

Did you have to submit plans with a ready made loo in the end or have you given details of a home made one? (This is a problem I will be coming up against shortly.)

Building regs asked for technical details, we gave them some examples but explained quite clearly what a composting toilet was. They were a little bemused, didn't know quite how to handle it at that point gave up and said that as long as EA were okay with it then so would they.

If it's not part of a larger project, like ours is, then I wouldn't even mention it. Just do it. You won't be breaking any regulations if the solid waste is indeed being composted and wet waste is treated appropriately.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 12:39 pm Post subject:

Thanks VP, that was roughly my conclusion - speak to the Environment Agency. As I'll not be doing any building work there's no reason to speak to building control.

It seems a bit strange that we should all be thinking along these sorts of lines but there's no help from the powers that be.

I also found comments that suggest it's fine to run urine to a soakaway but wouldn't that result in a build up? I don't plan to do that, I'll use it either watered around plants or on various composts, but I'm a bit curious to know why it's allowed.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 2:06 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

They were a little bemused, didn't know quite how to handle it at that point gave up and said that as long as EA were okay with it then so would they.

Thanks, that makes sense. It is part of the building warrant for the house so we need to do it properly, so I'll approach SEPA for approval of the system, then hopefully building regs will base their view on that.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 2:11 pm Post subject:

Bulgarianlily wrote:

How do you move the big 50 liter buckets?

I've just weighed a full one (it's all fun in this house!) and it was 26kg. We usually carry it out of the caravan (it has a robust handle on each side) and lift it onto a wheelbarrow. We will have to use a lighter weight system when we get old.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 5:36 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I also found comments that suggest it's fine to run urine to a soakaway but wouldn't that result in a build up?

Urine isn't pathogenic in the same way that solids are. There's nothing to build up expect mineral deposits and for a soak away that's never a problem.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 7:42 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I also found comments that suggest it's fine to run urine to a soakaway but wouldn't that result in a build up?

Urine isn't pathogenic in the same way that solids are. There's nothing to build up expect mineral deposits and for a soak away that's never a problem.

It not disease build up that concerns me but the build up of mineral deposits and nitrates etc, or the fact they'll leach out into the water table. Mind you, with the oncoming peak-phosphate crisis I can see people digging up soakaways in future.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 8:15 pm Post subject:
Try it. If in 130 years time you find a problem then dig another soakaway.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 11 8:18 pm Post subject:
Not me, urine is too valuable to pour away, it'll be used as fertiliser.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Reduce, Reuse, Recycle	All times are GMT Page Previous 1, 2, 3
Page 3 of 3

View Latest Posts