Top tips for maintaining a happy composting toilet
Composting toilets are very simple to maintain. The below is a list of top tips we have curated to help ensure the microbes helping us out are as happy as possible! Please feel free to leave comments below if you have other tips from your own experience!
Keep it Aerated – Sh*t Stirring.
Who doesn’t like to stir some sh*t up?
Mixing up the contents of your compost helps the bacteria and microbes and accelerates the drying of the solids: For Cuddy, use the built-in agitator to give the bin a stir if you’re having a wee.
The more it breaks down and dries – the less you empty it!
Keep it Dry
If any liquids (or slightly too-liquid-for-comfort poop) get into the solids compartment, this may prevent aerobic breakdown. Try topping up with some fresh, dry coco coir or other material to absorb the excess moisture. Also, stir the solids more frequently for a few days to help the material dry out.
Don’t fill it with toilet paper.
To maximize your time off-grid, we suggest using a separate bin for toilet paper. Tissue paper takes a long time to break down and will still be around when you come to empty your solids bin.
This is a common practice in some parts of the world with poorer sanitation systems or for experienced users of chemical toilets who want to minimize the unpleasant task of emptying as much as possible.
Don’t add kitchen scraps.
While you may compost food and kitchen waste in your garden or with your local authority within a confined space where you may use a portable toilet, this can attract unwanted pets.
While flies are harmless (they don’t bite) it’s best not to attract them in the first place with tasty kitchen scraps.
Fly Kryptonite – Diatomaceous Earth
To help prevent pesky (harmless) little fruit flies, and possibly their scarier but also harmless big brother Black Soldier flies (USA only?) try adding diatomaceous earth to your compost.
This can be added to the fresh composting material after emptying, after each use, or both. Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock.
1lb on Amazon – not an affiliate though we probably should be.
Vinegar rinse
Keep a small spray bottle of white vinegar diluted 5 to 1 with water beside your loo. A few sprays after each use will help reduce any odours from liquids left on the surface.
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