Humanure Handbook -- sawdust toilets

[Guest guest]

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, COM: Samba (das) SDG (Mauritius) wrote:

 

> [Text 2493345 from COM]

>

> Are there simple plans for sawdust toilets, that can be got? I am talking

> low tech, inexpensive, that can be made with local materials. I have been

> trying to get hold of one of Radha Krsna Prabhus 'sattvik' toilets, but he

> seems to be pretty busy.

>

> I want something that is designed to be cleared out regularly for

> composting.

>

> YS Samba das

 

 

Depending on where you live and what resources you have on hand, a

sanitary, odor free sawdust toilet could be set up with no investment at

all -- if you were educated on the principles involved.

 

The best book on this subject is *The Humanure Handbook* by J.C. Jenkins.

The subtitle of the book is "A Guide to Composting Human Manure

(Emphasizing Minimum Technology and Maximum Hygienic Safety). The ISBN is

0-9644258-4-x. The price is $19.00.

 

Basically, all you need are two plastic buckets -- one empty and one full

of sawdust (or similar plant-based material). Put a toilet seat with a

lid on one of the buckets. That's your sawdust toilet. Everytime you use

the toilet *cover the excrement completely with sawdust.*

 

When the toilet is full, empty it onto a compost pile. Add extra plant

matter, such as weeds from your garden, vegetable scraps (no butter or

other fats), leaves, hay, etc.

 

After one year, start a new compost pile.

 

After the second year, you can now use the first pile, and replace that

pile with a new one.

 

***************

 

That's basically all there is to it. The fine points are that it is

crucial that the compost pile reach a high enough heat at some point

during the year to kill all the pathogens. This is almost automatic, if

you build your pile properly (and don't use pressure treated wood to frame

it -- as the arsnic with kill the thermophyllic bacteria whose job it is

to destroy all the various pathogens).

 

Some devotees think that it presents a problem that we wash with water

after passing stool and urine. I really don't see how this is a problem.

Just use a squirt bottle so that you use less water more efficiently.

You'll need to use little bit more sawdust to absorb the extra moisture.

Beyond that, there should be no problem.

 

*********

 

The basic principle here, that our kids should be learning in their

sciences classes is that the physical difference between plant and animal

life is that plant life is basically carbon-based (especially dead plants

are mostly carbon), and that animal life is a significant source of

nitrogen -- nitrogen is a key element in the protein that makes up muscle

cells.

 

Therefore, animals and humans need to consume plants that have high

nitrogen content in them, in order to create muscle cells.

 

What a sawdust toilet is, is a means to recycle the nitrogen from our

muscle cells so it can be used by the plants again and consumed again.

But the key point is properly compostintg it so that all the dangerous

germs and pathogens are destroyed before putting it on plants.

 

A sawdust toilet is basically a nitrogen recycling receptical.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

P.S. For Y2K, I recommend that temples stash their bags of fall leaves

for possible use in sawdust toilets in case sewage systems fail in

January.