Compost Toilets
Compost Toilets
Back in grade school Science class, we have studied about compost and its use for the environment. Just a refresher, compost is an organic matter. Organic material such as plants, animals and other substances that came from living organisms are recycled and made as fertilizer.
Did you know that human manure could be use as compost? Yes, in fact, environmentalists advocate families to use composting toilets as an alternate for flush toilets. So what are composting toilets? How does it work? Following are important facts about composting toilets that you ought to know so that you will not have to go back to traditional flush toilets.
What Are Composting Toilets?
Again, composting is the process of decomposing organic matter. Organic matter comes from plants and animals. Human waste is like any other organic matter that can use as compost. As a matter of fact, if you will go back to your anatomy and physiology, the digestive system of man have already done the majority of breaking down process of food. So the decomposting is more rapid in human manure as compared to garden compost.
Compost Toilets
Compost Toilets
Take note that the human waste is composed of 90% water. A composting toilet’s main function is evaporation. Moreover, if you are looking for an ecological way to save water, it is the way to go. This kind of toilet is also known as waterless toilets and biological toilets. According to research, in America, the average family flushes 100,000 litres of water a year. We are talking about toilet flushing alone. Can you just imagine how much water goes down the pipe when using the dishwasher, shower and swimming pool? If more people are aware on how ecological they are, certainly we will be able to save millions of liters of water every year.
How Does It Work?
Manufacturers of composting toils use a separate evaporation chamber where liquid is warmed and evaporated. The system uses a fan consistently move throughout the unit. Green material and microbes are added to encourage breaking down of the remaining minerals. You are then left with sanitary compost, which can be used as backyard garden compost.
Types
Today, there are several types of composting toilets available in the market. They have been around for a long time, however because of various limitations like the smell, waste removal, suitability it remains an invention. Since we are now living in the 21st century, there are so many improvements done to make them more sustainable and convenient for any household use.
Compost Toilets
Compost Toilets
If you want to use it at home, you can choose between self-contained units and central composting systems. The first type is placed right inside the bathroom. The self-contained type is available in electric and non-electric versions. The second type, which is the central composting system is a two way-system. You can get a conventional toilet inside the bathroom and it is attached to a central composting unit. This unit is often seen outside the house or in the basement area.
Benefits
People who use composting toilets at home have certainly ripped its benefits. One benefit of this type of toilet is the dramatic savings in water usage. This type of toilet does not use water, so expect to save more than 50% percent on water expenditures. Moreover, since this type of toilet uses suction air flow, bathroom odor is greatly reduced. In fact, the odor escapes like a continuous extraction fan.
They are not only practical, they are ecological as well. In times of economic strife, it is important to learn how to save. One way to save on energy, water and money is to use composting toilets at home.
