Compost Toilet Trial Report - Ministry of Civil Defence and ...

Participants did report that asparagus season (which coincided with the trial time) did
contribute in some case to the urine smell (Figure 4.9).
Figure 4.9: A seasonal reminder to avoid potential smell issue
Compost toilets need a material that is airy (i.e. allows air to circulate). At the time of
installation we provided all users with wood shavings to use as a covering for the
faeces bucket, and for additional covering in the wheelie bin. One participant, familiar
with compost toilets, found this mulch too airy and thought it may be a contributing
factor to allowing the smell of the toilet to be noticeable in other parts of the house.
They used denser damp leaf mulch, which was subsequently provided to most
participants in week two. Other participants found the smell from the leaf litter
unpleasant inside their houses and preferred the wood shavings.
Many of the participants did take steps to add a pleasant smell to the compost toilet.
Some added essential oil to the straw, others lit perfumed candles or added perfume
diffusers (Figure 4.10) and one participant added sprays of rosemary from their
garden to the straw.
Figure 4.10: A compost toilet set
up with a perfume diffuser.
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