Hey there, we lived off grid next to a creek for a while and we had a $20 bucket toilet that we turned into a composting system. I would mix up a big tub of wood shavings, peat moss and bokashi grains. Put a layer of this mix in the bottom with an old 1cup scoop and then simply throw the paper in after doing the do, then sprinkle 1cup over each time. We did try to avoid no 1’s in this bucket though. When it got a bit full I tipped it into one of two barrel compost bins and gave it a couple of turns. Rinse out the bucket and start again. This gave us the best compost in only four months. Our loo was outside in a shower tent so we had to have a salt barrier around the edges to stop the leeches climbing up your feet during your quiet time - very disconcerting otherwise 😀
Good idea about that salt barrier, was it on inside of outhouse out of rain or on outside? Ive seen way too many leeches on me (for a hundred lifetimes) living in nth nsw & far nth qld) & omg they are the living shits! Years ago I was walk8ng across a mountain saddle to reach the beach with several friends in FN Qld & one bloke got one of those little sucubusses ON THE INSIDE OF HIS EYELID! That slippery little sucker held on for dear life & i dont even recall how or IF he got it off or if he just had to wait till it dropped off.. we didnt exactly have any salt with us... i think it emotionally scarred me for life! Maybe that's why im so fkd up still! 😄
My husband needs a bedside commode but we are within a few feet of a door going to the back deck. I'm thinking of turning it into a composting toilet just because it looks so easy! Question becomes about composting now!
Composting easy? It takes at least a year for it to compost. You need 2-3 composting bins in your back yard and garden or a peace of land to use the result.
Yes! I've been saying the same thing for years. Plus, you can use a sheet of paper towel for a big job. Try using that in a flush toilet and bad things will happen. At the moment, my pipes are frozen, so the flusher is useless. My Luggable Loo is now in service and the toilet paper goes right in the bag in the bucket with a good covering of all with pine pet bedding. Cedar smells nice, but takes forever to break down, like oak leaves. When the bag is full, it'll go in a corner of my back garden for a year, then I'll add the contents to my regular compost bin. Jon in rural BC, Canada
I have a Nature's Head. I think people figure if there's no TP then the excreta will evaporate the water, reducing down in size by at least 50% - thus doubling your capacity use before needing to empty the Nature's Head. But as this vid points out - you want the carbon ratio for composting. Actually you want natural compost that has aerobic bacteria in it to really kick in the composting process.
Thank you! That was a bit of a deal breaking issue for me, thinking that I had to keep a container of used toilet paper in my teeny rv bathroom. Great to have this issue sorted once and for all!
No worries Kim! I'm glad it was useful to you. What toilet setup are you using in your RV van? I'd love to know how you're getting on with it all... Cheers!
@@waterwally437 Hey Wally, It's a 2002 Rialta that I just got. It has a black tank - ugh! I've reserved a new composting toilet on Indiegogo, the Cuddy. Looks pretty great, so hopefully sometime in October I'll get it and change over. Haven't dumped the black tank yet, but that's in my near future.
What do you think of recycling showers? Water cycle (3gal): 1 reservoir to shower head 2 mechanical filter - fine 3 mechanical filter ultra fine 4 UV light 5 back into reservoir
Hi Aaron, the issue with wet wipes is that they are generally not made with only paper and they have other materials which do not break down. The moisture component of them should be fine but it's the material they're made of which is the problem. I've found that even wipes that claim to be 'biodegradable' just don't break down quick enough. If you find one that works ok - let me know! Cheers!
I don't add toilet paper in my compost toilet only because my toilet requires turning and it gets stuck. I just toss the used paper into my compost pile.
Nah... The composting process will stop eventually if the loo is not used for a long period of time but it will start again when the toilet is used again.
A composting toilet in a boat? Where is your garden or peace of land where you use your composted material? Where onboard do you set up your composting bins for a year? I would look into Separet Tiny, a urine separating toilet. Urine goes overboard, poo is taken to some trash bin on shore.
Hey fella - yeah, I've looked at making bokashi in the past. I've never done it but it all seems relatively easy to me. One thing I would say though is that you shouldn't really be needing to add bokashi or anything like that anway...
Wow. So just forget the amount of chemicals in toilet paper ? You think those will disappear ? This is what stuns me about people who compost but don’t give a second thought to how they poison the environment . Strange.
Far less poisons than a septic tank or municipal sewage treatment plant. And not wasting gallons of precious water. It's certainly a step in the right direction and then when unbleached, unscented, undecorated TP is readily available that'll be the next step. Otherwise you'll be using leaves.
i found this was very informative to a simple but commonly asked question, thank you
No worries - glad it was helpful for you!
Hey there, we lived off grid next to a creek for a while and we had a $20 bucket toilet that we turned into a composting system. I would mix up a big tub of wood shavings, peat moss and bokashi grains. Put a layer of this mix in the bottom with an old 1cup scoop and then simply throw the paper in after doing the do, then sprinkle 1cup over each time. We did try to avoid no 1’s in this bucket though. When it got a bit full I tipped it into one of two barrel compost bins and gave it a couple of turns. Rinse out the bucket and start again. This gave us the best compost in only four months.
Our loo was outside in a shower tent so we had to have a salt barrier around the edges to stop the leeches climbing up your feet during your quiet time - very disconcerting otherwise 😀
Sounds like a great setup! Way to go! :)
Good idea about that salt barrier, was it on inside of outhouse out of rain or on outside?
Ive seen way too many leeches on me (for a hundred lifetimes) living in nth nsw & far nth qld) & omg they are the living shits!
Years ago I was walk8ng across a mountain saddle to reach the beach with several friends in FN Qld & one bloke got one of those little sucubusses ON THE INSIDE OF HIS EYELID! That slippery little sucker held on for dear life & i dont even recall how or IF he got it off or if he just had to wait till it dropped off.. we didnt exactly have any salt with us... i think it emotionally scarred me for life!
Maybe that's why im so fkd up still! 😄
My husband needs a bedside commode but we are within a few feet of a door going to the back deck. I'm thinking of turning it into a composting toilet just because it looks so easy! Question becomes about composting now!
Composting easy? It takes at least a year for it to compost. You need 2-3 composting bins in your back yard and garden or a peace of land to use the result.
Yes! I've been saying the same thing for years. Plus, you can use a sheet of paper towel for a big job. Try using that in a flush toilet and bad things will happen.
At the moment, my pipes are frozen, so the flusher is useless. My Luggable Loo is now in service and the toilet paper goes right in the bag in the bucket with a good covering of all with pine pet bedding.
Cedar smells nice, but takes forever to break down, like oak leaves. When the bag is full, it'll go in a corner of my back garden for a year, then I'll add the contents to my regular compost bin.
Jon in rural BC, Canada
Thanks for your comments Jon! Yep - it all breaks down in the end! 😀
Blymin marvellous thank you for that. You have given us peace of mind, thank you so much. 🍀🌱
No dramas - glad it was useful!
Super useful! Thanks for the great info. Go Water Wally!
Thanks Trev!
Thanks, good info. I just installed my natureshead and was wondering why people were telling me I shouldn't drop the paper.
I have a Nature's Head. I think people figure if there's no TP then the excreta will evaporate the water, reducing down in size by at least 50% - thus doubling your capacity use before needing to empty the Nature's Head. But as this vid points out - you want the carbon ratio for composting. Actually you want natural compost that has aerobic bacteria in it to really kick in the composting process.
Thanks mate, great review. Will help us decide on our new van build using fact based.
No wukkas! Good luck with it all! 😀
Thank you for the TP post. Been researching this for a bit and was leaning toward using a bidet with tons of water changes🥺
Thanks. Short clear message.
Great video. Definently answered my question :) Cheers!
Sweet as!
Thank you! That was a bit of a deal breaking issue for me, thinking that I had to keep a container of used toilet paper in my teeny rv bathroom. Great to have this issue sorted once and for all!
No worries Kim! I'm glad it was useful to you. What toilet setup are you using in your RV van? I'd love to know how you're getting on with it all... Cheers!
@@waterwally437 Hey Wally, It's a 2002 Rialta that I just got. It has a black tank - ugh! I've reserved a new composting toilet on Indiegogo, the Cuddy. Looks pretty great, so hopefully sometime in October I'll get it and change over. Haven't dumped the black tank yet, but that's in my near future.
@@kimstephenson3876 Ha - cool! I've been hearing a bit about the new Cuddy - sounds like a good one!
What do you think of recycling showers?
Water cycle (3gal):
1 reservoir to shower head
2 mechanical filter - fine
3 mechanical filter ultra fine
4 UV light
5 back into reservoir
Good information, cheers fella!
No worries Dan!
awesome explanation
Sweet as - thanks!
So good to know this. Thank you!
No worries - thanks for your comment!
Thanks! Great simple information.
No dramas - hope it helped!
Compost it obviously. Who is walking around with dirty poo paper wondering what to do with it?
What about wet wipes? I figure the paper part of them is fine but the moisture makes me wonder... although poo has moisture too and it dries out...
Hi Aaron, the issue with wet wipes is that they are generally not made with only paper and they have other materials which do not break down. The moisture component of them should be fine but it's the material they're made of which is the problem. I've found that even wipes that claim to be 'biodegradable' just don't break down quick enough. If you find one that works ok - let me know! Cheers!
Thanks for the info
No dramas - hope it helps!
If your short on toilet paper supply you can economize by using scrap paper news paper or junk mail paper or notebooks.
Yeah - why not hey!?
Ouch!
nice composting toilet beard!
I don't add toilet paper in my compost toilet only because my toilet requires turning and it gets stuck. I just toss the used paper into my compost pile.
Thanks Wally 👍
No wukkas!
Is a composting toilet a poor choice where a toilet is only used intermittently? (On a boat)
Nah... The composting process will stop eventually if the loo is not used for a long period of time but it will start again when the toilet is used again.
A composting toilet in a boat? Where is your garden or peace of land where you use your composted material? Where onboard do you set up your composting bins for a year? I would look into Separet Tiny, a urine separating toilet. Urine goes overboard, poo is taken to some trash bin on shore.
Thank-you!
No wukkas!
Isn't it simpler to just burrito the tp and toss it in it's own closed top bin?
Yeah - if that works for you... but it will break down really well if you drop it into the compost loo also. Have a good one!
What about wipes?
Yeah - wipes are not great as they won't break down like toilet paper. No real harm other than the fact that they won't break down into compost...
Looks like a young David Bellamy
Do you know how to make your own Bokashi? Its tooo exxy buying bags every fortnight.
Cheers. NSW oz.
Hey fella - yeah, I've looked at making bokashi in the past. I've never done it but it all seems relatively easy to me. One thing I would say though is that you shouldn't really be needing to add bokashi or anything like that anway...
The composing toilets you're referring to, do they have a urine diverter, or does the urine and solid waste go in the same toilet?
Thxs.
What about wet wipes ? I wipe my cakes with wet wipes, do wet wipes break down like toilet paper ??
Nah, wet wipes don't break down that well. Good to know that you care for your cakes though!
@@waterwally437 🤣🤣
Just get hemp paper, it will breakdown and return to the soil
Yep!
It did cause issues, it’s full of toilet paper and to full to use.
Unlucky...
Surely you just wipe your arse with it …….
Wow. So just forget the amount of chemicals in toilet paper ? You think those will disappear ? This is what stuns me about people who compost but don’t give a second thought to how they poison the environment . Strange.
Far less poisons than a septic tank or municipal sewage treatment plant. And not wasting gallons of precious water. It's certainly a step in the right direction and then when unbleached, unscented, undecorated TP is readily available that'll be the next step.
Otherwise you'll be using leaves.