Doing your "Doody"

[ModestMonk]

Originally Posted by PathfindrVan

Chevy has announced they will be building pick-ups built from Aluminum in the next 1-2 years...they were just "stoopid" in their attack campaign.
And farmers composting farm waste is just good practice. The waste from these toilets are not usually being afforded the processes on a farm.

The replies here about these toilets, show an amazing split in reality.
So, a composting toilet is great if you DON'T USE it? Like weekender RV'rs who let it sit between trips...or the owner who uses the campground facilities when ever available(?).

So between trips, does the RV (with a use loaded solids bin in the toilet) stay plugged-in or have solar so the evac fan can stay running(?).

My problem with these toilet systems is the owners who dump their solids waste (nah, it's not compost - yet) into the trash system or in a shallow hole and dump the liquid tank on the ground near where folks camp (not into a toilet which does not exists in a boondocking area)

BTW disposable diapers are bio-waste, but typically have only a tiny amount of waste compared to the amount of absorbent material in the tape-closed diaper...nasty, but not a good comparison to the used/filled desiccant of these toilets.

It's just WAY TOO easy to be lazy and ruin beautiful camping areas for others...IMHO.
My thanks to those who do not get lazy

1. I missing something? Is it common knowledge that people are irresponsibly dumping this waste all over the natural landscape of America?

2. OK baby diapers doesn't amount to much....ok got it. So that's added to all those people who are incontinent or are wearing adult diapers because they have the inability to control their bowels, also the people in the senior care homes who wear diapers also have their diapers disposed of in landfills.

3. I'm OK if you're going to use this or not use this. I'm OK if you want to wary pink and purple polkadotted shirt I'll deal with whatever I have to do. I'm fine with what others do with their lives as they see fit. I don't understand the irrational fear of what people are trying to do to make the earth greener. The last two years billions of gallons of raw sewage of been dumped in our waterways of this country that is worth taking offense over.

4. I'm sure glad that there aren't lazy people contaminating all the campgrounds also, I'm with you on at 100%.

[gdhillard]

Still very much loving mine. I'm in the trailer every day, and am so glad to have the Nature's Head in there with me. Dumping the pee jug every couple of weeks is easy, and the poo seems to still be magically disappearing. No water, no black tank, and no smell, and no worries about freezing water lines or tanks. . And the whole system weighs about 20 pounds. I have a 19 foot Terry that I haul up to Vermont in May, and leave at my daughter's place until October. I hope to install another Nature's Head in that rig as well. Best way to deal with waste ever.

[GailK]

I'll start off by saying I didn't watch the video. I'm on a slow connection here. I' But I have an AirHead and love it. (I had a Nature's Head on my boat but it wouldn't fit in my tiny bathroom in the RV.) I've had very few issues. And I do not have mine vented like you're supposed to. I keep meaning to, I know it's not that hard, but it's tough to get motivated to do a project to fix something that ain't broken. :-) There is no smell. At all. I spray the bowl with windex or other cleaners now and then. I'm not a hard-core boondocker, I'm not going out into the desert and parking for months on end. I'm usually going somewhere every few days since my RV is my only vehicle. So it's not that difficult to dump the urine tank since I'm using whatever restroom I pass anyway. :-) No method of waste disposal is 100% trouble free, we each simply decide what we find less aggravating. I see people dragging blue boys to the dump station and that looks pretty aggravating to me. And they just shrug and say it's no big deal. I dump my solids tank in pit/vault toilets, and I don't have to do it all that often. I actually went 4 months between dumps this summer, though I was camping places where I often had access to restrooms. If I absolutely must, I'll throw it in a dumpster. I don't like to, but then I think of all the dog crap and baby diapers and get over it. It might not be good for large families, but for one or two adults I think it's a great solution.

[mocarski]

One thing you have to consider is that the folks in the video aren't your average users. People who are into physical fitness have different diets and that would affect things. The folks who hydrate (I used to be one of them) and who glory in the lack of color in their urine are also generating a lot more waste than the average human. It was great to see their viewpoint to factor into the decision and want to thank everyone who posted their experiences. I still don't see any reason why one wouldn't work for my situation.

[PathfindrVan]

Originally Posted by ModestMonk

....

3. I'm OK if you're going to use this or not use this. I'm OK if you want to wary pink and purple polkadotted shirt I'll deal with whatever I have to do. I'm fine with what others do with their lives as they see fit. I don't understand the irrational fear of what people are trying to do to make the earth greener. The last two years billions of gallons of raw sewage of been dumped in our waterways of this country that is worth taking offense over.

4. I'm sure glad that there aren't lazy people contaminating all the campgrounds also, I'm with you on at 100%.

I guess, #4 is my primary issue...thanks for highlighting.

There is NO fear here, only disappointment from others actions.

Our personal experience specifically matches the couple in the video of the OP...guess we are near to being physically fit

For anyone considering these devices...
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE dump the liquid tank FAR from the nice campsites that we share -IF- you can't get it to an actual toilet/sewer access.

There is a BIG difference between Human and animal waste - PLUS who saves their dogs/cat poop for 1-2 weeks (nah, 50 or more "deposits" is not realistic from what we experienced)?
So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put the solid wastes in a bag if you must dump it in a public dumpster or similar refuse point. The thicker the bag, the better.

Thanks to those who are trying to make the earth greener. Please follow through when you dump your "compost".

Thanks

[mocarski]

Following Leave No Trace principals is highly recommended - www.lnt.org
Below is a summary of LNT appropriate disposal of waste related to this topic. Given the volume of liquids, I'd be inclined to dispose of it more like solids. A small hand trowel, a little time, and the appropriate location and you can dispose of it with no impact. For large amounts of solids, distributing it among several catholes is a better option

Dispose of Pee and Poop
In most areas, peeing on the ground is acceptable. Try to go on mineral soil or rock so no vegetation is not damaged. The salt in the urine attracts animals which may further damage vegetation to get at the salt. Males are often advised to 'write their name' when they pee - this distributes the urine instead of concentrating it in one spot.
Make sure you go 200 feet away from camp, trail, and water sources.

Poop is more of a problem. The solid mass needs help from bacteria to break down so using a cathole is the most commonly accepted method of disposal.
Using a hand trowel, dig a 6 to 8 inch deep by 6 inch wide hole in soil or duff, carefully saving the top chunk of soil to replace where it was.
Do your business and then clean up. Dump some dirt in the hole and stir it into the poop with a stick to help start the decomposition. Fill in the rest of the hole and replace the top plug.
Either pack out used toilet paper or bury it deep in the cathole. Toilet paper is often left exposed and is an eyesore. Burning toilet paper is no longer an accepted disposal method due to it blowing away and causing wildfires as well as not burning the waste completely.

[mocarski]

PathfindrVan, what is your objection to using catholes and dumping the liquids per LNT principals in boondocking areas? If done properly there is no impact to the environment and unless you stumble across it within minutes after it's done it is not noticeable. In all the years I've been a backpacker I've seen lots of trash and food waste dumped into firepits and litter scattered about but never run into someone else's left behind bio waste

[PathfindrVan]

Originally Posted by mocarski

PathfindrVan, what is your objection to using catholes and dumping the liquids per LNT principals in boondocking areas? If done properly there is no impact to the environment and unless you stumble across it within minutes after it's done it is not noticeable. In all the years I've been a backpacker I've seen lots of trash and food waste dumped into firepits and litter scattered about but never run into someone else's left behind bio waste

No objection. Using LNT guidelines...Catholes sound perfect

...Locate catholes at least 200 feet (about 70 adult steps) from water, trails and camp. Select an inconspicuous site where other people will be unlikely to walk or camp. With a small garden trowel, dig a hole 6-8 inches deep...

Hope that's 6-8 inches from the top of the waste load...'cuz a load from the solids bin in a typical composting toilet will surely MORE than fill a 6x8inch hole. At least ours would.

The typical backpacker is not collecting their waste (except in fragile areas, of course)...so I agree, rarely saw a problem there.
This is a problem where campers frequent (using these bin or bagging toilets).

My complaint about human waste disposal has always been that the LNT's very simple rules were not even closely followed by some...ruining it for everyone that came later. The liquid tanks were too often poured just off the camp spot and a bag with the solids were just thrown in the woods or lightly covered, making it easy for rodents to uncover and forage through.

Yes and sadly, inconsiderate campers love to fill the firepit with trash as they leave...and this trash is too often filled with plastics that should NOT be burned. We have cleaned-up after so many who did this, because we would NEVER want to burn plastics in our campfire .

Thanks for the LNT link.

[scep]

You people really need summer to come soon....

[ModestMonk]

Originally Posted by scep

You people really need summer to come soon....

[dagmandt]

Originally Posted by PathfindrVan

The replies here about these toilets, show an amazing split in reality.
So, a composting toilet is great if you DON'T USE it? Like weekender RV'rs who let it sit between trips...or the owner who uses the campground facilities when ever available(?).

So between trips, does the RV (with a use loaded solids bin in the toilet) stay plugged-in or have solar so the evac fan can stay running(?).

You didn't read too clearly on this. You absolutely use it but you don't dump it just because your weekend trip is over. You let it set until the next trip and continue using it. As I mentioned in my post, I don't have personal experience but my research shows that many folks do this with great success.

[gdhillard]

Mine has about 50 days on it so far. Not any closer to dumping then when I started. The fan draws .2 amp/hrs for 24 hours run. And solar is great.

[Just For Fun]

Originally Posted by PathfindrVan

This (very refreshing and sometimes funny) video tells a story about "Composting Toilets" ...and supports our personal experience:

*Credit to "The Fit RV"

So...my take away, Composting Toilets are:
~Much more work.
~Much more mess.
~Mis-named - Produce an "end product" that is NOT compost.
~Equipment that has lots of ways that can cause problems.
~ Systems that require disposal of products where some folks can badly soil the environment through inappropriate disposal (it's really bad for the person that follows you).

Opinions?

* We are in no-way affiliated.

Thanks

I'll stay with the system that came with our MH.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by dagmandt

You didn't read too clearly on this. You absolutely use it but you don't dump it just because your weekend trip is over. You let it set until the next trip and continue using it. As I mentioned in my post, I don't have personal experience but my research shows that many folks do this with great success.

I read the previous posts the same way as the OP. If you park the RV and leave the loaded composting toilet...it is not in use. Of course, this will let the waste decompose a bit more than a unit in constant use

Originally Posted by gdhillard

Mine has about 50 days on it so far. Not any closer to dumping then when I started. The fan draws .2 amp/hrs for 24 hours run. And solar is great.

Where is the solid waste going? Physics would argue about the level not increasing. The Mrs and I have daily/typical "movements" and like in the OP's video, daily use would not last beyond a couple weeks. Which agrees with our travel/boondocking partners who use these toilets.
Thanks for the info about the fan...so solar or staying on shore power is a must, because that is much more draw than a typical stereo on low volume. And everyone knows what leaving the radio on too long does.

We use a much simpler system of reusing filtered grey water for flushing the standard toilet...but only when hardcore boondocking. Easy as pie.

Safe travels