The humanure thread

[Frugal Que]

Not really. I really think the climate that I live in really helps things to decompose really fast. We live in Portland, Oregon and it is pretty wet during the winter. Food, dead animals, etc all seem to decompose in no time. We keep a compost bucket (with a lid) in the house for food scraps. I dump that weekly into a raised bed, dump our humanure buckets and dump any paper that has accumulated that week (from the mail) and cover it all with wet hay (or leaves, etc).

Any dead animals get dumped in the beds also. We have about 10 raised beds and I base where I am dumping things on which bed appears to be the lowest. I have never run across the animals that we dump in there.

However we do have a healthy population of BSF in the spring, summer and fall though.

 

[Dawn419]

Glad I did a search for this thread...a lot of good info!

We are somewhat roughing it on our land (had city water put in before we move here in 7/09 and just got electric in 1/11). We're living in a 22' camper and hope to start on our cabin this summer. We're wanting to put in a composting toilet and recycle our grey water but are getting "nays" from the "powers that be" since we're on city water.

Due to that convenience, we've been told that we "have to have" a septic system because of the Clean Water Act and in AR, greywater has to go into the septic system.

Now, I cannot wrap my head around this since the only place our septic system can go (for where we're building the cabin) is above an area that has over a dozen wet weather springs.

If it wasn't for the fact that it's near impossible to drill a well in the rocky Ozark foothills, I'd tell them where to send their city water buuuut...

Has anyone had any experiences with this type of situation?


Dawn

 

[sunsaver]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/270721/Humanure-Handbook I use shredded leaves or dry peat moss, and biodegradable TP. My composting toilet is basically a glorified 5 gal. bucket. There's a nice cabinet above the bucket and brand new toilet seat. I intend to put in a solar powered vent fan, that will basically pull air down between my legs, over the bucket, and through the wall to the outside. I have two compost piles. The kitchen pile can go anywhere, the composted humanure goes under fruit and nut trees and berry bushes only. Never put any animal manure around greens and veggies: http://humanurehandbook.com/store/LOVEABLE-LOO-Eco-Toilet.html

 

[Dawn419]

Thanks for the links, sunsaver!

We'll check them out when doc gets home from work tonight. We've got that book and several others concerning grey water use on our wish list.


Dawn

 

[Veggie PAK]

I thought I left a comment here a couple of days ago about some safety concerns for this activity, but I don't see it. It must be out in cyberspace somewhere.

 

[sunsaver]

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/wri/treat3.htm

 

[Veggie PAK]

"Composting toilets aerobically decompose toilet wastes and produce a material which (if sufficient pathogen reduction has occurred and if metals and other regulated parameters are sufficiently low in concentration) may be used as a beneficial soil amendment." (an excerpt from the link in the above post.)

How are people checking for safe levels of "metals and other regulated parameters"?

 

[Lady Henevere]

Due to that convenience, we've been told that we "have to have" a septic system because of the Clean Water Act and in AR, greywater has to go into the septic system.

We reuse some of our greywater, but don't worry too much about regulations or permits..... (Well, to be honest, I think our little laundry system happens to be legal here.) Of course, if you're working on new construction, it might be harder to be under the radar regarding greywater use, especially if you're thinking of plumbing it into the house. But you may want to double check the regulations to be sure; a lot of people don't "get" the difference between greywater and sewage, so you could have gotten bad info.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

"Composting toilets aerobically decompose toilet wastes and produce a material which (if sufficient pathogen reduction has occurred and if metals and other regulated parameters are sufficiently low in concentration) may be used as a beneficial soil amendment." (an excerpt from the link in the above post.)

How are people checking for safe levels of "metals and other regulated parameters"?

Probably the exact same way that anyone tests their soil. Soil is decomposed matter. No matter where you live, the soil is comprised of decomposed poo (certainly animal, and very possibly human) and plant matter.

By the way, your other comment was left on a different thread

 

[sunsaver]

Farmers and garden enthusiasts often put cow manure in their gardens. Im not Hindu, so i don't see why cow manure is better that humanure. Isnt that prejudist?