Build a Composting Toilet

In this article a step-by-step guide to building a composting toilet made from empty plastic bottles will be described (provided by the Berkana Institute). A composting toilet is any system that converts human waste into an organic compost and usable soil, through the natural breakdown of organic matter into its essential minerals. Micro and macro organisms do this over time, working through various stages of oxidation and sometimes localized pockets of anaerobic breakdown (Wikipedia).

Steps

  1. Collect Carrizo or bamboo to be used for building the walls of the compost toilet.
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  2. Get a bunch of clay, sand and water together to create the mortar that you will use for the walls of the toilet.
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  3. Next, smoosh the water and sand together until you get a nice firm mud for building the base of your toilet.
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  4. Begin by layering the plastic bottles (packed very tightly with dirt) with the mud. Start with a layer of mud on the ground. After the first layer, tie the tops of the bottles together with twine to keep them from separating under the weight of the upper layers. Build the walls upward using this method.
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  5. Build the walls up layer-by-layer using this method, you should cover the bottles in the lower layers completely.
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  6. The walls of the base should be about a meter tall. You can leave the tops and bottoms of bottles exposed in the upper layers for a decorative effect (truth window).
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  7. Make a space in the mud for cross-beams to be inserted. These will provide the support for the floor of the toilet. Make sure the cross-beams are strong and secure.
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  8. Build the "floor" of the toilet using recycled plywood. Be sure to cut a nice large hole in the floor for the solid waste, as well as a smaller hole for the hose which will separate the liquid waste from the solid waste. The floor should be strong enough to support the weight of at least two people.
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  9. Step 9: Prepare the container using a halved oil barrel or other similar material. You will need to cut a hole into the side of the barrel and cover with wire mesh for ventilation.
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  10. Place the barrel under the hole in the floor and a separate container (a jug or large bottle) for the liquid waste. The toilet itself should have a separator so that the solid and liquid wastes do not mix with each other.
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  11. Frame the building for the toilet using old wood and corrugated tin from the local dump or scrap yard.
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  12. Build the walls of the toilet within the frame, using twine or rope to hold the pieces of Carrizo or bamboo tightly together.
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  13. Here is what the exterior of the toilet looks like when complete.
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  14. This is what the base of the toilet looks like when it is finished and with the walls built above it.
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  15. Position your toilet seat over the hole in the floor and secure in place. Attach a hose for the liquid waste to the bowl and run this hose through the hole in the floorboard and into the liquid waste container below.
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Sources and Citations

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