Composting Toilets: Legal?

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

I'll write the CDC and check with them and we'll see what they say. Then I'll check with the states and see what they say. I'll let you know, maybe some are right, some of us have it wrong.

I did not call the entire board lazy. I called people who don't take care of what they should take care of responsibly lazy so if you think that fits you oh well.

RVs are not new. Sanitary conditions are not new. Both been around a long time.

It's really awesome how many people have jumped in to help clean up areas others have made messes of. If one is not composting their shit properly and dumping it that's a problem, I think, one society will have to deal with some day. Some think otherwise so I will ask and see what else I can learn and pass it along when I hear back.

 

[MotorVation]

I've been alive for 64 years and have been pooping just as long. Therefore, I thought I knew a thing or two about poop.

Nope

Not until I came across this thread. Evidently, one can't possibly know too much about poop..

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

LOL

 

[Dingfelder]

For those of us that haven't had babies.  I raised 8 and changed diapers on all. It is a lot of shit from one baby.
Toilets and restrooms and holding tanks in RVs are a rather new thing.
Wow,  calling us out as lazy and wanting free. I don't know if that is right philosophy to bring to this forum.
The EPA approved; Disposing of one use bag in the trash stream is less dangerous than disposing a tank of septic waste into a sewer system. Where do you think the solids and pharmaceuticals, and plastics go from there?

I was raised in a foster family and was changing diapers since I was 9 years old.  Started way back when people used cloth diapers and disposables were only for the lazy and/or the rich.  And I can verify that a single baby can make a huge amount of poop and pee.  Neither one is particularly lovely.

At any rate, I think some posts here and in other threads severely understate the amount of waste that can come from a baby, apparently in some sort of effort to make it look like adult waste per day is much worse.  And I don't think it makes sense to separate the urine- or poop-soaked diaper from the urine or poop in this discussion.  Those diapers hold a lot and they themselves are nasty.  They are not gorgeous additions to landfills.  Heck, baby clothes can stink up a washing machine pretty good, too.

So I agree with Weight, here.  People sometimes tend to understate baby-made waste and overstate adult-made waste when trying to advance some arguments.  Sure, adult butts and etc. have something of the demonic about them, but baby slush isn't all sweetness and light either, and there's more than plenty of it per day.

 

[Weight]

Yes. I would like to see the reference to a law or even a rule that states it illegal to put a soiled diaper in a proper trash can. I'm considering my single use bag the equivalent of a diaper. I'm in agreement that composting cans are not usable in a traveling van. Or, holding tanks should only be dumped where permitted. I'm only arguing it is not wrong to dispose one-use soiled bag or diaper into a land fill through a proper trash collecting container.
I asked the local waste disposal operator, a government appointed authority. "Place diaper in a plastic bag first then into a trash can."

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

This BLM document describes how they approve of the dumping of the waste into bags and landfill:

file:///C:/Users/Logan/Downloads/portabletoilets.pdf

They do state it is dependent upon the state laws. The particular document was found but I wasn't all that convinced on who really put it out but I'm looking. I thought the pro throw the shit in the dumpster people would be happy to see it.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Below is a well reasearched and written article that boils down to it's ok and legal to dump waste packaged well into the cans that will go into the landfill:

http://www.livesmallridefree.com/blog/where-to-responsibly-empty-your-composting-toilet

After looking at all sides of this, I think the composting toilet is great for homesteaders and terrible for RVers or travel homes without options to actually compost the waste:

1. Throwing money away on a toilet you can't use for its purpose
2. Having to dump more frequently than a porta-potty.

The "bucket" method here seems to make more sense, over the composting toilet, because it's cheap. The porta potty seems to make more sense over the bucket due to comfort and ease but that's my opionion. The holding tank on ours is 6 gallons. I wouldn't want to try to dump a 6 gallon bucket, the toilet is designed for ease here and is contained better.

This was a good look at it all. Thanks for participating!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I used the bucket for several years and still carry one in one of my vans, I never liked storing bags of poo even if I made an outside locker purpose built, mostly I didn’t like getting rid of it or handling it so much. I bought a porta Potti years ago for show if someone ever inquired how i went to the bathroom, I thought it would look a bit better, to most people. I never used it for quite a few years after hearing stories of problems emptying them and I thought they might smell. However one summmer a few years back I decided to use it, I separate the pee by using my detergent pee bottle, I have found with less then half the recommended amount of chemicals I can keep it for up to a month without any smell. It uses very little water. It is easy to empty, I dump it in toilets and rinsing it has worked out ok so far, I would recommend a hose with rubber push on connector to hook up to taps in bathrooms in order to rinse or only rinse when you can get good access to water. I vote for porta potti as the simplist and cleanest way available.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

a cat hole by definition is single use.  more than single use and it's called a latrine.  I use cat holes but it's only single use,  never more than one use in a single hole.  highdesertranger

Please note that I did not say to dig a hole and come back to it and poop in it every day. I said to collect your poop in a poop bucket for the 14 days that you are at a site, THEN dig one larger hole and bury all the poop that you have "collected" in that one hole all at the same time. 

People wonder why I write such long messages. It is because, if I don't spell out every iota of every possible misinterpretation of what I am saying, then someone is guaranteed to do said misinterpretation.....   like clockwork.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

This BLM document describes how they approve of the dumping of the waste into bags and landfill:

file:///C:/Users/Logan/Downloads/portabletoilets.pdf

They do state it is dependent upon the state laws.  The particular document was found but I wasn't all that convinced on who really put it out but I'm looking.  I thought the pro throw the shit in the dumpster people would be happy to see it.

Do you realize that you posted a link to a location on your hard drive?

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I vote for porta potti as the simplist and cleanest way available.

Yup. I also much prefer a porta-potty. When I dump it at the dump station... let's just say the stuff coming out of the tank smells better than when I was first putting it in.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Do you realize that you posted a link to a location on your hard drive?

No, I just saw that.

 

[Weight]

Thanks for the follow up. It takes a better person than me to admit they were wrong.

 

[BelgianPup]

I just came to this thread, and ran across a term that I'm not familiar with... What is a 'drying agent' for solid human waste? Mr. Google only provided info on laboratory testing, nothing about dispoal of waste, indoors or out.

Can someone explain what it is, and what its purpose might be? Thank you.

 

[highdesertranger]

it's similar to kitty litter. it absorbs the moisture. for pee it turns it to gel. highdesertranger

 

[BelgianPup]

Thanks.