I know it’s a bit of an attention grabbing title, but bare with me. For many people, a compost toilet (perhaps dry or waterless toilet is a better word) is a more convenient way of dealing with bodily outputs. Perhaps because where you want to put a toilet, there isn’t an adjacent sewage connection, or…
This article will help you determine the best way of wiring an extra solar panel or panels into your existing small-scale solar system. If you don’t know what series or parallel mean – don’t worry, I’ll explain it as we go on! Many people, myself included, start off with one solar panel. Over time you…
So you installed a compost toilet. You’ve been using it for a while. You’ve been making compost and now, that compost is mature and ‘ready’ – what can you do with it? That’s a great question and firstly, let’s say well done! If you’d been using a compost toilet as your primary toilet for 12…
Waste is only waste when somebody wastes it… I love this short video by the Rich Earth Institute in Vermount, USA. Their main focus is turning human urine into fertilizer. This pioneering work supports sustainable agriculture and protects vital water resources. But, they are not only looking at the science behind using human waste (pee…
When you start thinking about using a small space (shed, summerhouse, cabin, tiny home, caravan etc) throughout the year, it becomes obvious that having some way of heating the space will extend and enhance its usability. Heating becomes a necessity if you are living there throughout the winter! As we’re mainly dealing with off-grid scenarios…
Allowing small amounts of urine to be discharged into the ground, through a soak-away pit, is the usual way of dealing with the urine output from urine-diverting compost toilets. In the UK, specifically England and Wales, the Environment Agency, permits discharges to ground of up to 10 litres per day (with certain provisos) as part…
I think I first came across the cabins and work of Black Dog Carpentry in 2012 or so. I was captivated by the unusual and often organic quirky style of the cabins. Black Dog Carpentry are a small collective of woodworkers and makers based in Devon, UK. They try to use homegrown timber and recycled…
In my various jobs and businesses, I have often been asked to help people choose the right size of solar panel and battery for a low power device (lights, compost toilet fans, USB chargers…). In many cases, it’s been to power the fan in an off-grid compost toilet (although my methods and maths applies to…
Night Soil, is untreated, uncomposted human excrement (aka raw poo). It was commonly used as a fertiliser on farms in the United Kingdom until around 60 years ago. It’s still used in some Eastern countries today, but comes with health risks as raw human faeces can be a vector of human to human disease transmission….
Maybe you’re thinking about buying or building a compost toilet, but you’re not sure if you’re ready to make the leap and part with a lump of cash or spend a lot of time making something. What if you want to dip your toe in the waterless world of compost toilets and humanure to see…