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  • From: richard wade <wade@coac.es>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] diy compost toilet inside the house
  • Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 14:10:28 +0100

Hi marijana,
From my experience, the last line of your post holds the key. We have a vermicomposting toilet running for the past 4 years with really great results. For it to work well though, you need to think from the worms point of view. You've got to make the place a great place for worms.
So they need a moist place to live, a safe non-toxic place to play and freedom to roam, that is, access to all parts of the composting bin.
What's toxic? well, piss for example. Not in itself but from the amonia it contains. So you need to install a urine separator, or have another place to pee or *great* control. Also the mix of urine and feces gives rise to conditions for a certain bacteria that seems to have only one really important function, produce that stinky nasty smell tipical of badly working outhouses. Keeping piss out of the toilet changes the whole atmosphere.
As a bulking agent you need to use only organic material that worms can live in under normal conditions. No sawdust, shavings, and the like. (We use old partly rotted straw that worms have already begun to occupy. A handfull after each use. Any other compostable material like leaves, wine pressings, etc. can be used. It's nice if it's clean to use and not too bulky. We chop up the straw before using it for ease of use.) The condition is that worms can already live in it. Why?? well it seems that worms don't like fresh crap. Maybe because it also contains a bit of amonia. I don't really know. but the worms need access to and around until it looses its "untastfullness" (amonia?) , in a few days.
Our bin is a bit more than a meter long, and about 80cm wide. We designed double bins, but might just end up using only one. With worms that's posible. It's been over a year since we changed sides. There are a million ways to use the worms, and to get them out, but that is quite site specific and you can work that out yourself.
Hope this is of use
Regards
Richard





marijana@kneja wrote:

hello permies,
have anybody of you made a 'do it yourself ' compost toilet for use inside the house? we builded a bio cleaner for greywater cleanong last year, and we use it now only for the washing mashine waste water. now we want to redirect all the greywater to the cleaner and we need to separate the toilet from the sewage, that's why the compost toilet. we are freaks and want to use recycled materials or find cheap materials. any expirience with this, any schemes of such toilet, expirience with composting of feces with worms ?

thax everyone!
love
Marijana, Croatia

www.kneja.hr
www.ekosela.org the Balkan Ecovillage Network

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