HUMANURE Composting System at an ECOVILLAGE

Everybody has to shit, but in our culture and economy, human waste is nothing but a liability and potential health hazard. And what's crazier is that we mix it with our drinking water and create an even bigger problem.
Well, at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, we don't have elaborate plumbing and water systems to cart all our human waste away to be treated in a plant or dumped directly into the local river or ocean. We keep all our human waste on site, where it becomes a benign yet beneficial resource for agriculture. We not only save millions in infrastructure expenses, but we save water, we don't pollute our drinking water, and we end up with a valuable soil amendment.
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[@bigonprivacy2708]

Love the whole start of it. You get it. A new upgraded phone every year to stalk, control, and feed you propaganda, but not one dime to do what we all could do so much more effectively. Earned a subscribe just on that.

[@truthbetold2611]

I'm looking to build a hot compost this year to make growing vegetables in the snow possible. Humanure came into mind. The Humanure Handbook is by Joseph Jenkins. Simply beautiful.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yes, I have another video about and old gardening book from the late 1800s that shows how to make a coldframe with a bed of soil on top of hot compost to give extra warmth in winter.

[@SuperFuckhard]

I appreciate You so much your doing a Good thing Your a Good Man and I Love You My Brother keep up the Good work Your doing everyday

[@rubygray7749]

How did I miss this one? One of my favourite topics!

[@MidlifePrices]

More and more people are starting to do this. We live in Saint David Arizona and just since we’ve moved here there have been like four other couples who are doing the same thing. My husband usually dump the buckets and I get the cleaning part. I think I would rather dump the buckets LOL. I wear disposable gloves. Very well said and awesome video!🧤😃

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Glad to hear others are doing it where they live. It's so easy.

[@ccccclark2605]

Doug and Stacy Living Off Grid: Doug does it all. 😁

[@carmenortiz5294]

NIce video, glad Joseph Jenkings name was shown in passing. I got the seat, have the buckets, just need the measurements for the box. With the way things are going, I'm finally going to build it.

[@earthchildmarket3256]

I'll have to check out that book! This is definitely something i want to do once i get my own land farther out of town. Always enjoy your videos.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I have actually never read it, but I should do that. I'm sure we have a copy or two in our library. Glad you like the videos.

[@dictionaryzzz]

I got over 10 dogs so I am currently using this method to deal with their waste.

[@ottawaontca]

Thanx

[@snippetsofinconvenienttruth]

Grass clippings work well to layer the bucket too. No smell either.

[@khaitrilachong7619]

Great video. It is something we could do better. We are recycling many things and do better everyday, but not human waste. The art of human waste composting should be funded for further study.

[@timgiles9413]

There really is no need to do further study. It's already been done by Joseph Jenkins. It needs to be used by more people correctly. Please read his book "The Humanure Handbook"

[@quirkysue3471]

We've been using a bucket system with pine shavings part time while we build on a property. I've just been burying the bucket contents at the end of a weekend as we go, but will be composting it instead soon. I likely won't use it for food crops right away though, there is still a bit of ick-factpr to overcome there. 😂

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You should let it compost for about one and a half years to be sure all pathogens are dead before using it. It also needs that long to break down into compost.

[@reginajaquysh7360]

Check into using pine shavings. In my experience, pine seems to inhibit the decomposing process. For composting, I think avoiding aromatic woods is advisable.

[@chucknorisclone]

I love it I subbed

[@georgecarlin2656]

I use a mixture of 1/3 charcoal and 2/3 sawdust to add to humanure to create compost that never decays (biochar/terra preta). I'm putting in the sawdust so that the charcoal doesn't stain my palm, otherwise I'd use 100% charcoal.

[@carmenortiz5294]

Great idea mixing the two systems. That should make it even better. I have a lot tree waste to turn into charcoal, straight winds hit us bad last year. Just have to wait until the snow melts Zone 3.

[@georgecarlin2656]

@@carmenortiz5294 omg that's probably Alaska, what took you so far from the equator lol

[@carmenortiz5294]

@@georgecarlin2656 I used to live just north of the equator, but not by much. If I told you, why you would think I'm a nutcase. I started preparing decades ago, not because I expected thing to get really, really bad before now, but because a lot of "coincidences" brought me here. I believe that the farther we are from the warm areas of the planet, the safer we will be, because most people will be looking for warm areas. The idea is to prepare for the cold and learn what grows in very cold places and store. Also have been taking advantage of end of season to buy very discounted clothing for hunters in very cold areas and things like real wool blankets. People live in places like Siberia which are even colder than here. I was born and raised in the military (family still is after more than 80 years) I've been studying wars for a long time. We were in a very dangerous era.

[@christianmama2441]

I think the old way was to dig up a hole about 3 meters or more deep about 1 meter or more in diameter, and then put outhouse on top of it. My grandparents had this system. When the hole filled up after a couple of years, they would dig another a few feet away and move the outhouse on top of it. They didn't plant anything on top of that hole usually, or on occasion they would plant young fruit trees, grapevines, berry bushes (but not vegetable crops) once the holes were at least a couple of years old. They generally never grew vegetables on top of those holes, they knew better. Also, they knew well water could make them sick so they were careful to source well water from places far away from outhouses or even communal wells outside village. WIthout a knowledge of bacteria, they knew human waste needed to be far away from wells and tried to place outhouses in places that would be least likely to polute their wells.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

That sounds like a traditional outhouse. This is the way a lot of outhouses are still made, even in parks today. The problem with that system is that it doesn't make use of the waste, which is a valuable resource and can be used to improve soil. Knowledge of bacteria would have taught them that after a few years pathogens would be unlikely to be present because they can't survive long outside the human body. The hole method is definitely the easiest way to deal with human waste, but drainage into water supplies has to be considered still. Same with our humanure system, but after only about 1.5 years, the composted waste will be perfectly safe to put anywhere and will not contaminate water supplies.

[@christianmama2441]

@@HardcoreSustainable I would argue they absolutely benefited from the humanure, because like I said, they planted fruit trees, grapevine and berry bushes a couple of years later around those old holes...It definitely improved the soil in the area and their garden wasn't terribly huge. Just not for annual vegetables and they waited quite a bit of time to plant in and around old holes.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

@@christianmama2441 I thought you said they would only "on occasion" plant on top of them, but not usually. I'm sure if you planted something like a tree on the old pit it would help it grow better. But with the humanure system you can redistribute the composted waste without having to excavate a hole, and put the compost where you want it.

[@alexismainguet]

Hello👋🏻🙏🏻 thank you for making this video🤗. Why don’t we just burry the humanure In the soil? Or on the surface ? Animals mostly just poop on the surface , no? I have no idea what happens if you let it? In Parc birds and ducks and swans poop so much on the grass, does it go back to the soil and enrich the soil? Same for dog poop, why don’t we just let the dog poop on the grass, or maybe bury it? (I know nothing about it, I try to understand it better🤗🤓). Loved your video 🥰🤗

[@HardcoreSustainable]

The idea of this system is to work with toilet seats in a bathroom. It doesn't actually work in a toilet, but it uses a toilet seat, which allows the user to do their business in a way they are used to. Then the waste is collected after many deposits and is composted. The benefit of composting vs just burying the waste is that composting uses the high temperatures of decomposition in a compost pile to kill pathogens. This prevents the spread of disease. It also concentrates all the waste in one spot that is easy to keep track of. Once the waste is composted, it can then be used as fertilizer, so it becomes a resource instead of a liability. If you buried the waste, you'd have to dig a hole every time you went and you'd have many places where the waste was deposited. It wouldn't get to high temperatures and disease could potentially spread. In some countries there is an area designated for depositing waste in a field or small patch of ground. When different people go to this place to do their business they track the waste on their feet and spread parasites like hookworm, and other diseases. That being said, you have to be careful in handling human waste in a humanure system, particularly if it is the waste of more than one person, because many diseases are spread in human waste. I mention this in the video, but although this system may seem less sanitary than a toilet with water, we often swim in bodies of water that are contaminated with raw sewage that is the result of our conventional ways of dealing with human waste.

[@timgiles9413]

You Sir are exactly right.​@@HardcoreSustainable

[@didanz100]

Humamure I collect urine by peeing in a one or yoghurt pot and storing ing a plastic bucket with a lid. To collect solid waste I use a cheap 9.6 plastic bucket cut in half with a paper towel I'm the base. This fits into a standard toilet just above the water line. I then composite the waste in a gutted top loaded washing machine. The only things added are poop, hand towels and toilet paper. I am a never flusher

[@HardcoreSustainable]

That's great! I'd like to see your setup. It sounds interesting.

[@maryrock9136]

I am confused about why people are so "put off" with the functions of their own body?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I think humans have a natural repulsion to their own waste products possibly because it can spread disease. Then factor in the obsession in our culture with sanitation and sterility and you can see why people are put off by humanure. But like I said in another comment, it's just misplaced disgust, because they don't usually think twice about swimming in a lake or ocean polluted with raw sewage because they assume it is clean.

[@Robertjustice101]

@@HardcoreSustainable It takes a special type of person that is engaged if your use to the smell it wont bother you a bit. I grew up as a kid playing on our septic tank ever since my childhood I had a fascination for manure.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

@@Robertjustice101 That's funny. I don't think I'll ever get used to the smell of humanure. It's just our body's way of telling us to be cautious with this stuff. And I think we need to when we are doing humanuring.

[@robford3211]

@ Mary Rock: have you heard of a group of people called Christians. I wouldn’t say that all of them are weird but a large majority are . They had a dude called Augustine but the doctrine that the human body and sex is sinful is precisely where that dichotomy between good and evil comes from

[@jamesmoore1341]

Hell nowadays people are offended by getting called the wrong pronouns😅

[@VitalityMassage]

1:08 So funny.

[@idealist4life]

I think we need to use this as an instructional video at D.R.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

No reason why we couldn't

[@alx81]

What about septic tanks? I mean, I think some of my trees are benefiting from these tanks. Lol. Oh btw, thank you for making your videos look so profesional. I like the different shots, close ups and angles you take. ❤️ Say hi to Banjo for me. 😝

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I'm glad you like the videography. I'm trying to learn more and incorporate techniques into my videos to make them more interesting. I don't know a lot about septic tanks. What happens to the stuff collected in the tank? I know they seep into the ground to get rid of the moisture, but i don't know about the organic matter. Humanure really reclaims and uses the waste. I'll say hi to banjo for you.

[@Alex-uo4qq]

Ben Falk grows annuals on top of his septic tanks. I've heard that you should keep trees off the tops of septic tanks due to their long roots. I'm not an expert though. I definitely think septic tanks can leach a lot of good nutrients. It's probably one step down from humanure but it's still a great idea.

[@zzsdadYY]

Where did you get your sawdust?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

We get sawdust from local sawmills.

[@beccam9854]

do you ever wonder why this isn't more common in impoverished rural areas?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I'd guess because people don't know about it. But I think it's a good idea for anywhere. People in rural areas of the US usually use septic systems or their waste just goes into a ditch near the road, which is really unsanitary. In the third world there are areas where they put human waste. That's how people get hookworm.

[@Chris-gr7ll]

Because I don't have to pay money to compost my poop. That's why.

[@RickMitchellProvenanceAndRoots]

Ok, note to self - read the video title before just hitting play on a Hardcore Sustainable video. This wasn't the best video to watch while eating lunch. LOL Great topic that we should all learn about. If it was my decision alone, I'd be using this system. But, There is someone else in the house who is against such a system. There doesn't seem to be a lot of room for middle ground on this one. But, I'll keep trying. ;)

[@nickolasspadaro9848]

Rick, I had a very humanure skeptical partner but we moved off grid and it was the only option so she reluctantly dealt with it. Now she loves it and even prefers it to a flush toilet. They are much better than you think when used correctly (adequate amount of GOOD cover material ie sawdust is used). If you have the room maybe built a humanure toilet/box next to the flush toilet and just you can use it. Once she gets used to it and sees how well it works maybe she will use it too?

[@RickMitchellProvenanceAndRoots]

I'm advocating for a composting toilet in a bathroom that is unfinished. There is still a completely working bathroom elsewhere in the house, but I'm getting serious kickback to finishing the other room with a composting toilet. I'm even using the excuse "let me use it until we can put a 'normal' toilet in there" and that isn't flying either. LOL

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I was skeptical of the humanure system as well when I first came to Dancing Rabbit. It was the thing that I was most turned off by, but I've adapted to it and I see it as much better than flushing. I would say there are many improvements we could make to make it easier and have less of an "ick" factor. One improvement I have that is not done elsewhere in the village is to use a lid on the bucket. This keeps the smell down a lot, as does using enough sawdust to cover. My parents set up a temporary humanure system in their house several years ago when they lost power for a few days and had no running water (you need running water for toilets to work). They were probably the only people in their area able to go to the bathroom in their home. Maybe it would be good to point out to people who think the toilet is more sanitary the fact that when they go swimming, boating, or fishing in a local waterway, they are likely in direct contact with their own or other people's feces, since so much raw sewage is regularly flushed into local waters. When I was in St Petersburg a couple years ago, a tropical storm had forced the city to dump millions of gallons of raw sewage into Tampa Bay. And these dumps happen often when extreme weather causes systems to be overloaded. It happened all the time where I grew up by Lake Erie. It's easier to stomach when it's out of sight, out of mind, like so many things in our economy.

[@RickMitchellProvenanceAndRoots]

To your point of St Pete, It really does upset me that when I go there to visit friends now, I'm not able to go in the water when I go to the Beaches. So much stuff in the water that the red tide is out of control.

[@RickMitchellProvenanceAndRoots]

Though, about Lake Eire, "Burning River" is my favorite 'local' beer. LOL That has to be a positive outcome of that, right?

[@emoskyladywashere]

Question about this system. Do you have a separate bucket for urine or is it part of the same bucket? Because I've seen several people who live in converted school buses or rv's full-time who have composting toilets and they always n use a two bucket system. My thought is, if using a two bucket system then the urine could be used separate from the humanure for "liquid gold" plant fertilizer without having to wait for it to break down into compost like you do with the poop. so you'd get an instant fertilizer as well as a later date fertilizer.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You can use a urine diverter to collect urine separately and dilute as a fertilizer. Leaving the urine in makes better humanure though.

[@RunninBird]

I do this as well but it's only for my family. I'm genuinely curious how you handle components that don't break down in compost such as medications and the like in such a communal setting? Do you worry about things like Hepatitis?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

In one of my responses to a comment below I give links to info on the survival of pathogens in human waste in the environment. I would guess hepatitis is not a concern for human waste or it would have been mentioned in these studies of pathogens. Hadn't thought about medications. I suppose that could be an issue if they are chemicals that don't break down naturally. I know this is a big issue with municipal wastewater systems and they just flush stuff into the nearest waterway, so it's not really addressed there.

[@pinam27]

I wonder if anyone else was holding their breath while you dumped the buckets...I had the whole nasopharynx on shutdown. I want to do this but I live in a suburb, there has to be a way.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yep you gotta do that when you dump them, or dangle an air freshener in front of your nose. In the suburbs I would recommend getting good coverage of the deposit with organic matter so that the smell can't go too far, but it will probably still smell for a day or two. There may be other ways given that there are composting toilets available for houses and they don't stink if they are done properly. Possibly an enclosed composter with a high ventilation stack so it can disperse the smell before it offends.

[@rubygray7749]

Joe Jenkins says that if you can smell anything, it's because you haven't added enough cover material That smell stops immediately you cover with a layer of fine weathered sawdust. Then add a thick layer if new straw, weeds or whatever on top to insulate and keep the heat in. A layer of steel mesh laid over will prevent any birds or animals scratching around.

[@laurenpaterson3475]

@@rubygray7749 Peaple who eat vegetarian diet problem smell less meat eaters stinik

[@lesleyharris3198]

Hi, I would be fine to use composting toilets, I'm a big advocate of people peeing on the compost pile, it speeds up microbial activity and bracks down the compost much quicker, but not on a humanure pile,

[@ottawaontca]

I am curious. I heard that you can use wood stove ashes to help break down mass. Would that be something that work work, or do you believe it does nothing. I have been trying to find a way to use my ashes from my wood stove instead of just tossing it in a field.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I've known people that add wood ash to humanure buckets to help the composting process. Ash has a lot of calcium and potash so it will definitely make the compost richer. Wood ash is great to add to any compost. Don't ever just toss your ash. It's a rich fertilizer if used in moderate amounts. But usually you don't get so much that you have too much for a garden. Another thing people at my community use it for is de-icer of walkways in winter. I don't know if it has a chemical process that melts ice, but just the dark color absorbs the sun's energy (even on a cloudy day) and melts the ice. The only drawback would be tracking it into the house, but if you put down salt, that will happen with salt too. Another use for wood ash is to make soap. Or nixtamalizing corn for tamales or tortillas, but that's another level.

[@MsMarmima]

I saw some people bokashi their waste, to prevent smell before composting

[@HardcoreSustainable]

That could be a good way of doing it. When I use my bucket system, I put the buckets outside for a while with lids on them. I don't seal them, but they do seem to break down a lot before I dump them in the composting pile. They don't smell unless you disturb them.

[@FranekCyganek25]

I got to say that's not only humanure for me Since I started doing it, my physical, mental and spiritual health inproved a lot. I recovered from a very hard and difficult to cure disease. Because of this, I could start doing in my life and invent many new things that I could not before due to poor health and poor general condition. Beacause of this, I was able to start working a lot physically and intellectually. I also feel better spritually- happier and freer to do good and generally as me and I can also give this happiness to others. The very sad thing is that people do not want to see that the changes that have taken place are the results of working towards humanure.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I never knew there could be mental and spiritual benefits to humanure besides just knowing that you were not polluting water and you were reclaiming your own waste. Why do you think it has helped you in these other ways? What specifically do you think doing humanure has changed about your health that would lead to these benefits?

[@FranekCyganek25]

@@HardcoreSustainable I think this is a thing that is missing in the world and peaple mostly thinks our waste is something not usefull, there are also a lot of misunderstoods in science that told us the bacterias are causing diseases but there are pioniers of every life in my opinion and no biological reaction can go right without them, they for example are appearing in places where are some toxic substances and they role is to transform it always to substances better for life- they waste could be toxic for us but without bacteria it would be a lot worse

[@FranekCyganek25]

@@HardcoreSustainable i cant make very long comments so I add secound, so I think that in cause that this method and working on it bring a lot of new good things for world and it has a very good impact for nature and then for people, so it might acumulute and go back also to me and improve my health in mental, spiritual and material space

[@webbedtoes2]

Indeed. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@johnndavis7647]

You will have less stink if you have two toilets. One just for urine and the other for poop. The less urine in the poop bucket the better. Urine mixed with rain water makes great fertilizer for vegetable plants. I keep several 2-1/2 gallon kitty litter jugs around my place to pre in when I am away from the house. 1/2 gallon of urine in four gallons of water works for me.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yes, installing a urine diverter is a great way to separate the two. But I never pee in the bucket if I don't have to. I save it and mix with water to fertilize my starts and some garden beds.

[@DAWIII]

What about toilet paper? How far away is the compost area from your living area? Is too much urine a problem?(I have seen systems that strive to separate it somewhat.) Thanks, Great video!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Toilet paper is put in with the humanure. The nearest house to one of these composting areas is uphill maybe 500 yards? It doesn't seem like urine is a problem in the humanure but separating would be ideal for consistency. We mostly pee outside separately from the bucket system. Peeing on compost piles is good.

[@raymondjames5035]

@@HardcoreSustainable I always thought pee was acidic, until I checked it... it's alkaline. Potatoes like alkaline so that's where the piss bottle gets dumped. Why buy ferts when our waste products will replenish the soil?

[@raymondjames5035]

All bleached paper products contain dioxin. Buy unbleached tp.

[@timgiles9413]

​@@HardcoreSustainableyou need the urine in the buckets. The urine helps to heat up the compost pile. Pee in the buckets and not on the pile.

[@pfavayi]

Do you urinate in the bucket as well ? The buckets don't have any fluid when you empty them ,so what happened to the urine ?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I only urinate in the buckets when I can't avoid it. I usually urinate into a separate container or directly on my garden beds, flowers, fruit trees, etc so that I can get the value of the fertilizer. Even the urine that winds up in the bucket isn't enough to make the mixture too fluid, although it really depends on the season. In winter it's thicker.

[@timgiles9413]

The sawdust absorbs all of the urine.

[@helenrichmond856]

No sawdust where I am. Can it be done with cardboard instead?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

It probably could, but ideally it would be in smaller pieces, so straw or leaves might be better. Wood chips could work too, but will take longer to break down.

[@FranekCyganek25]

When I say that God with His grace can heal through nature and act through infinite number of things, even believers in God often knock on the head and telk me that I am mentally ill or something. And I've just been in bad condition but it keeps getting all the way better. Certainly there are many graces of God in action for matters which are missing in the world and about which people think that they are not working but work wonderfully. I hope that it will gradually change and people will be able to take advantage of the good that is contained in this matter and also be able to discover many other wonders so far hidden for humanity or old and forgotten or considered not working but works great. Cordial greetings and blessing for You everyone ❤

[@raymondjames5035]

Fancy... Why wash the buckets? I only use one bucket and instead of sawdust I cover it with pulled weeds, eventually dumping it in a hole dug in a future bed, then cover with a tarp, periodically opening it to rain. It is ready in six months, then I go on to create another garden bed. I live on solid volcanic basalt and have to buy soil, or create it with pulled weeds with intact rootballs holding medium.

[@rubygray7749]

It's nice to start with clean buckets. The rinse water guess into the compost pile. Your system does not create thermophilic compost vso us not killing pathogens. Also, the high carbon of sawdust balances the high nitrogen of manure. Sawdust is a bulk ingredient, and very beneficial to the soil, so using it is essential to Joe Jenkins' Humanure system. It makes a valuable contribution to the volume and quality of compost produced, turns a waste product into a previous resource, and makes the entire process more pleasant.

[@James-ib2kp]

Everything just slides into place. 💩

[@dwightmann6297]

Is it just for #2 or for #1 too

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I use it for both, but if we just have to pee we go outside. You can also make a toilet that separates the two.

[@dwightmann6297]

Hardcore Sustainable i see cool thank you

[@timgiles9413]

Put #1 and #2 in the bucket and cover with sawdust.

[@timgiles9413]

Put #1 & #2 in the bucket.

[@carolynclark588]

Thank you for the information. .....im reading a very interesting book....Gardening with less Water low Tech, low cost techniques use up to 90% less water in your Garden... author David A Bainbridge.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks for the reference. I'll have to look into that book.

[@ryanholzhouser7739]

Pizza hut sauce😂

[@DoloresMandalay]

I was using this method but found that rats enjoyed using the dedicated humanure compost heap - naturally I found this alarming and have stopped this system.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You could make a hardware cloth composting bin. Rats can't get into a well made hardware cloth compost bin.

[@DoloresMandalay]

@@HardcoreSustainable Of course! Thanks for the suggestion

[@michaelball763]

Dan, can I make a serious suggestion please so as to 'prompt you to kill two birds with one stone'? Why not use comfrey leaves in place of lavatory paper?

[@rubygray7749]

Ouch!! Why?? Paper is usually recycled, and was once a tree. Tree in the form of rotting wood, sawdust, cardboard or paper is an essential ingredient of good compost.

[@neccowaif9]

I once thought a mullein leaf would be a good wipe, but OH what a rash I got. Hard to have fresh ones on hand, though I guess you could just grow the plant by the out-house. Making sure they're free of unwanted and possibly invasive or irritating forms of life is a real concern for me.

[@tegannottelling]

While I totally appreciate the sentiment for utilising human waste as fertilizer the bucket system(S) are not adequate for hygiene nor are they practical for females as urine is not easily separated from the solids. Urine increases the acidity of the compost material and kills off most of the beneficial bacteria that is breaking down the solids and leads to a anaerobic system. not great unless you are trying for biogas. it also reeks to high heaven. Also a bucket system is high maintenance requiring emptying regularly and is most definitely not insect proof. There are many composting toilet options that are wonderful for utilising human waste. The bucket system, is not one of them and risks disease. A two bay Farralone system can be self built with a little more effort than a bucket system or even a pre bought one such as the Nature Loo, or even the commercially available biogas systems, offer a real alternatives that are safe and Hygienic. While I do understand people want something simple that is basically 'no DIY skills required' some things are better safe than sorry. I live in the Northern Rivers area right near Nimbin, it is a very alternative living area and due to unsafe practices of many people using the bucket system or long drops there are untreated human waste readings in our waterways that are worrying, especially as some people do pump from our waterways for their tank/house water. A composting toilet should have a insect proof batch system that you do not touch other than to turn, like you would a compost pile, every week or so. Insect proof, simply as you don't want insects walking on your waste then buzzing over your bbq lunch. It should remain in the batch system container for a minimum of three months before it is then returned to the earth with a minimum of 10cm of soil over the top of it as a cap for 6 months. Only then can you use it as fertilizer, obviously not on root vegetables or anything that comes in direct contact with the composted material for added safety but fruit trees etc is fine. I personally have three composting toilets on my property. One I purchased, a nature loo, (2 x 300lts per batch) and two I made, one a besser block two bay batch system ( 2 x 1000lt per bay), the main toilet, this also has a urine diverter in it. The main one's first batch of 1000lts sits in its batch bay after it is full for a full year composting while the other one fills, it is basically soil already by the time it is handled in any form. And one last infrequently used removable 'bin' 4 x150lt batch system (This is used infrequently or it would be too small to be practical). Improper composting of human waste can cause hepatitis A, hepatitis E, cholera, adenovirus, and E. coli, just to name a few. Not all guests are going to have a " warning hepatitis A" tattooed to their forehead before they use your toilet.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wish we had a better system as well. I've always thought it was too labor intensive and not as sanitary as I'd like it to be. It's certainly not a great demonstration, but is much better than polluting your drinking water and local waterways and then swimming in it. Our composting bins are far away from people, residences, and waterways in the village. We also cover everything with a healthy amount of straw to keep the bugs down. There is no doubt that our humanure composts down well and is not going to harbor pathogens. We also keep tabs on the temperature of the piles to make sure they are "hot". There is a composting toilet in our BNB building, but it takes up 3 floors and is incredibly messy to clean out, I'm told. Definitely separating the urine is a better system. People are told not to urinate in the buckets, but it's inevitable if you're putting solids in as well, if you don't have a urine diverter. We usually just urinate in "the wild", both men and women.

[@tegannottelling]

​@@HardcoreSustainable Thanks for being so open to suggestions. I appreciate your points about being better than flushing. I also agree its a natural resource that should not be wasted. Good to hear you have the compost hot. I was just watching Two Hands One Man off grid, he does a great composting toilet, double bay system but he does have the DIY skills as well as urine diverting pedestals, makes things easy, as well as a climate that allows for an outdoor toilet.

[@timgiles9413]

I personally wouldn't use any other system other than what Joseph Jenkins wrote in his book "The Humanure Handbook" and I would follow it to the letter. I have for 5 years now and I wouldn't do it any other way.

[@TehOldGamer]

How do you know it doesn't have pathogens? It sounds like you are taking it on faith.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Well, it's true that I didn't test it, but I'm not taking it on faith. I never take things on faith. Scientific research and basic sanitation practices support that it is highly unlikely for pathogens to survive in soil for as long as 2 years. Strains of E. coli, Clostridium tetani and other potentially harmful bacteria can be found in any soil, so we aren't talking about those, but instead we are talking about fecal pathogens that may spread disease from the humanure. All of the references below seem to me to support that it's highly unlikely that there are fecal pathogens in that composted humanure. weblife.org/humanure/chapter7_8.html www.uky.edu/Ag/Tobacco/agr_notes/agvl32_3.pdf I also found a textbook called Soils and Human Health that gave these times for survival in soil. Bacteria 1 year max, viruses 6 months max, protozoans 10 days max, helminths 10 years max, but common 2 years. I think the humanure handbook recommends 1.5 years of composting based on scientific data. I will also point out that I don't use humanure directly on crops that I eat the leaves of just for precaution's sake, though I think the science would support I don't have anything to worry about. I will use it on crops that grow taller and that I mulch, like corn, tomatoes, pole beans, and fruit trees.

[@sheepseven7588]

Hi ,thank you for the video, however the bible the Word of God is clear we are not to do what your suggesting thousands will die behind this.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Interesting take. What part of the bible talks about humanure?

[@timgiles9413]

Nonsense