March/April 2022

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Composting Toilets
The best composting toilets with advice from Practically Green
DRY TOILETS are a great way to
go off-grid at your glamping site.
They require no water and often
no electricity. Dry toilets come
in a variety of types, including
incinerating and bag and wrap, but
arguably the most ecological and
suitable for hospitality set ups are
composting toilets.
Compost toilets treats faeces
through a biological process that
decomposes organic elements,
transforming human waste into
compost. Microorganisms undertake
composting under controlled aerobic
circumstances (primarily bacteria and
fungus).
After each use, a carbon addition
such as sawdust, peat moss or
coconut coir is supplied to assist
decomposing the solid waste in
various types of composting toilets.
This method creates air gaps for
aerobic decomposition and also
raises the amounts of carbon and
nitrogen, which reduces possible
odours. This simple, sustainable
technology has been used for
thousands of years and is now
making a much-needed comeback!
WHICH TOILET?
There are a variety of manufacturers
of quality composting toilets on the
market, including Nature’s Head,
Sun Mar, Airhead and Separett, to
mention a few.
It’s worth understanding the
difference between self-contained
and central system toilets. Selfcontained
units are usually preferable
for glampsites and cabins as opposed
to central systems as the pedestal
and the composting chamber are
all-in-one – perfect for structures with
limited or no underfloor space.
You should also consider toilets
that divert urine into a separate
chamber to that of solid waste.
Composting is slowed by the addition
of urine, which cools and dampens
the material. Toilets that feature
urine separators, channel urine into
a separate receptacle which will need
to be emptied. You can alternatively
choose to filter urine through an
external soakaway (check with
your local rules and reg regarding
expelling urine in this manner) or
collect it in a larger external tank
for manual removal by a specialist
company.
COMPOSTING METHODS
True composting toilets feature
chambers that hold and break down
dry matter so that what you end up
with looks and smells like soil. Others
require emptying and the dry matter
disposed of, but are kept odour free
by means of a fan which dries the
solid matter.
Here are some examples of our
favourite composting toilets:
BEST OVERALL
NATURE’S HEAD DRY COMPOSTING TOILET
Because of its simplicity and compactness, this is a
self-contained and portable type that uses a urine
separating system, making it excellent for glamping.
Due to its hand crank agitation in its core, Nature’s
Head Dry Compost Toilet with standard crank
handle design provides users with a better and faster
cleaning ability.
This waterless toilet functions on a urine-diverting
mechanism and is self-contained. It is built-in with a
12v power plug and fan for low volume air circulation.
Maintenance is fairly straightforward and it has a
quick installation process. It is free from bad smells,
running on a waterless operating system. However,
the toilet requires the urine container to be emptied
frequently.
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