Many cottage and cabin owners are exploring the option of composting toilets for both practical and environmental reasons. A composting toilet is a system that converts waste into organic compost. There are many misconceptions about the concept, but composting toilets are a solution for homes with no plumbing, an overloaded septic system or water shortage. By composting organic matter back to its essential minerals, these toilets are also minimizing the environmental impact from waste treatment.

If you care about treading lightly in your area, the composting toilets are a responsible choice as they cause no pollution and save water. Sun-Mar, a company that has been in the business for 25 years, has already saved 2.75 billion gallons of drinking quality water. Additionally, the resulting compost serves as food for plants and could actually make them healthier with the improved soil and added nutrients.

Skeptical?

Admittedly, it's a difficult concept for many of us to consider. However, the manufacturers of these products guarantee that there will be no odor and no contact with anything that we want to avoid! In fact, they even say that there should be less odor than a conventional toilet because air is constantly drawn in and up the vent.

Furthermore, there are areas that simply can't have a septic system. If you're located on an aquifer, for example, or you live in an area with permafrost, the composting toilet provides an alternative to an outhouse.

How to use

The composting toilet should come with everything you need to set up along with do-it-yourself instructions. The maintenance will vary, but for the most part you will just need to add peat mix, typically at the rate of one cup per person per day of use.* You can still use regular toilet paper.

As for removing compost, the systems will vary. For some, you will simply release the drum lock and rotate. The compost should drop automatically into a drawer. The process should take less than a minute, and you won't come into contact with the waste. Envirolet, another manufacturer of composting toilets, has created a Six-Way Aeration process to eliminate this step. For these, you will have to empty the system every 6 to 12 months. Also keep in mind for the winter that the unit has to be kept warm for composting to continue.

Still not convinced?

Although there are probably some skeptics out there, composting toilets will be beneficial for those with few alternatives, but also for those looking to help out the environment and their wallets.

*Products will vary. Consult with the manufacturer or owner's manual for instructions on specific models.

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