Composting toilet

[Bassdogs]

In a camp ground situation, disposal of the solids [still mostly poo after 3 - 7 days] into anything other than the dump station would be in violation to every campground rule anywhere I have ever been. They often post that dumping portapottys into toilets in the bath house is prohibited. A bag of poo in the trash dumpster or any dumpster for that matter would be a problem.

The OP provided a link to a product at Amazon. Go to that link and read the reviews. Some are very telling about how much "handling" of solids is involved in using a composting toilet. One lady mentioned that it the solids tank was too heavy for her to remove so she just tipped it forward and scooped out the material with a spatula. Way too much info for me but kind of leaves me with the thinking that a quick trip to the dump station isn't all that bad. Knelling next to my potty and turning the crank to mix the poo and coconut fiber doesn't sound like a welcome chore for anyone in my crew.

[JMC]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

A bag of poo in the trash dumpster or any dumpster for that matter would be a problem.

Ever thrown a dirty baby diaper into a trash can? Basically a bag of poo.

[hboy]

Originally Posted by JMC

Ever thrown a dirty baby diaper into a trash can? Basically a bag of poo.

WOoooooo.

Can't argue with that. It's okay for dog poo and baby poo. But not grown up poo?

I really don't want to youtube this, but I kinda want to hear how the 3 day compost gets dumped....

[motorbreath]

I have been looking into "composting" toilets for the future, but I am interested in them because provincial and state parks do not have full hook-ups. Without access to water and sewage at my campsite, a "composting" toilet should allow me to both (i) save fresh water (no flushing) and (ii) increase my grey tank storage (using what was the black tank).

With that being said, these toilets do not truly compost, it takes months, so I would dump the waste into my home compost bin. The fan that is used to dessicate the solid waste draws less than <0.1 A which is probably more than your CO detector does. Another benefit, if it is installed properly, is that it should not smell as bad as the traditional toilet because you are not mixing solid and liquid waste.

This is my understanding, I don't think these toilets are for everyone, but if you are boondocking or primitive camping they are definitely advantageous.

[tjs]

Any thoughts on using a portapotty

[Marcm157]

I am brand new to RV camping and did my research (hours and hours) in preparation of our first trip. I was not at all concerned with towing, backing, leveling, setup, breakdown etc, but was scared to death about dumping the black tank.

Admittedly, it was an irrational fear but once I did it I realized how easy it was and specifically how "Clean" the process actually was. Based upon the horror stories found online I was prepared to buy a Hazmat suit!

The composting toilet process however brings back all those fears...

[Bassdogs]

LIke so many of the new age solutions, composting toilets are "loaded" [pun intended] with a lot of issues. Pretty much all rvs of any size come with a conventional toilet and a holding tank that is plumbed to use a dump station. Dump stations are available at most CGs and they are now common at interstate rest areas in many states. Portable totes are available to extend the capacity of a holding tank. Beyond the yuk factor that many of us have in getting anywhere near POO after the point of origin, the RV sewage system is pretty much user friendly and with practice it gets easier.

The composting toilet is a different solution to the same problem, containing and disposing of human waste. The difference as some have explained is that a composting unit requires hands on requirements almost from the point of deposit and thru to the unloading and disposal of "the Bag".


So at the end of the day, the new age solution requires users to perform duties like churning the poo, dumping the Pee collection container, and then handling/disposal of the solid Poo bag during and or at the end of the camping outing. The old tried and true system goes from the deposit to the dump process with a lot less close in contact and in my mind a lot more pleasant experience. If you're not a tree hugger you will probably find that the old way is better than the new way.