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  • From: Jody Troupe <jodyt2@mac.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Compost potties
  • Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:12:35 -0700

Hello Michelle-

Thanks for sharing your story. My personal hang-up (someone recently
mentioned being a clean freak) is with 'atmosphere' and presentation (its the
artist in me and NEVER leaves)! You've painted a very nice mental picture of
a commercial site composting successfully. Thank you. :-)

Jody




On Tuesday, October 17, 2006, at 09:45AM, Michelle Maggiore
<mmaggior@mindspring.com> wrote:

>This may be a bit off-topic, but since there has been discussion about using
>pee and poop, I would like to describe a public bathroom I saw last year in
>the Catoctins in Maryland. Thorpewood is the name of the environmental
>center, and they have two public restrooms; I saw the womens', but I cannot
>describe the men's. (I do not think my husband used their restroom when he
>was there)>
>Anyhow, there were three or four stalls, and the seats were nice dark wood
>and looked like regular public bathrooms with wood doors instead of metal or
>melamine or whatever, but pretty normal looking overall. There was a set of
>instructions on the door and on the wall behind the seat. The had nice full
>buckets of sawdust, and suggested adding a cup or two (depending on your
>contribution) after you did your business. I think my mom might have even
>used these if she went there, they were done very well for the purpose of
>showing the public that composting was respectable, and clean, and I think
>they achieved that.
>Then, in the basement, where the stalls led (there were about 6-8 total),
>all were connected to a central chute that led to a pretty large lidded
>container. It was maybe 200 gallons? They opened it for us to see, and it
>was not gross. All food from the kitchen was also emptied into this, and
>apparently, redworms had been added shortly after the bathrooms first were
>in operation. The redworms were prolific, but in good proportion.
>Their report was that they have never had to empty the system (and it had
>been in use about five years at that point)- they drain off liquid after it
>goes to a second bin for compost tea, and harvest redworms regularly. The
>worms digest all the food, and it all seems to stay at about mid-level.
>I really like Thorpewood, but I was a bit disappointed to see that the
>vegetable garden was FAR away, so that may be why they only use the compost
>from this system on the native plants garden out front, and do not cart it
>to the food garden which is about half a mile away.
>I know this is a bit much over homestead level, but I thought it was pretty
>cool, and I was also glad to hear that they were able to harvest worms and
>compost tea withoiut having to haul any heavy loads out of it, which seems
>like a lazy composter's dream.
>My three girls get a bit upset with me that I cannot seem to have a
>conversation without mentioning compost or manure, and I guess I am proving
>them right, once more. Good Day!
>Michelle in Scottsville, VA
>
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