How deep is it good to burry poop?

[CosmickGold]

I remember a video in which Bob Wells said poop should be buried something like 8-10 inches deep, because if deeper the air can't get to it to properly return it to the earth.

That concerns me because I bought a post-hole digger so I can bury the stuff two feet under the ground building upward before I put a dirt "lid" on it. Is that a bad thing? What happens to poop two feet deep? Does my method create a problem?

 

[BelgianPup]

If memory serves (always questionable), I thought he said it should be AT LEAST 8" deep so as not to attract wildlife. Personally, I was going to use a post hole digger, too, and also bring my 5ft straight steel chisel-type digger tool (can't remember what it's called). I use the chisel tool to loosen the soil, and then the post hole digger to bring it up. Personally, I don't see why a 2 or 2.5 ft wouldn't be a suitable depth. No reason to overthink it, IMHO.

 

[RVTravel]

6-8 inches
https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/dispose-of-waste-properly/

 

[CosmickGold]

If memory serves (always questionable), I thought he said it should be AT LEAST 8" deep so as not to attract wildlife. Personally, I was going to use a post hole digger, too, and also bring my 5ft straight steel chisel-type digger tool (can't remember what it's called). I use the chisel tool to loosen the soil, and then the post hole digger to bring it up. Personally, I don't see why a 2 or 2.5 ft wouldn't be a suitable depth. No reason to overthink it, IMHO.

6-8 inches
https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/dispose-of-waste-properly/

Thanks guys. I started looking online myself and most sites say 6-8 inches but don't explain why not deeper.
One site said it takes about a year for human waste to decompose. (That's so long.)
Finally, I found a site that explains, ". . . . not too deep down as there is virtually no nitrogen and therefore little in the way of bacteria to help decompose the stuff . . . ."

 

[John in Montreal]

At least 18"

 

[RoamerRV428]

are ya putting it plastic to bury or? if not straight nothing but poop then we chat diff.

human poop ain't the fab like critters in this world but deeper is good for straight on poop of course.

you don't have to go very deep IF you are moving on ya know in some forest type natural issue that are not used and explored or near alot of human traffic, etc. but if 'making a poop field, staying there etc.' then....new moves on it all ya know.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

6" - 8" from the National Forest Service:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/responsible-recreation

 

[frater secessus]

A mattock is exceptionally good for digging narrow, deep catholes. Here's mine, $10 from a flea market stand in Q.

 

[metaglypto]

The reason to bury it 6-8 inches is for the aerobic bacteria to work. Too shallow, andit is easy for animals to find and dig up. Too deep and there is no oxygen for the aerobic bacteria to work. Another thing, in fairly wet, forested areas, it can break down in two or three weeks, in dry, desert areas, it might take years to accomplish the same thing. A good rule of thumb, when in those dry southwest areas especially, is to always poop in a plastic lined bucket (I also put wood chips in) and haul it to a dumpster. Poop, like anything else needs moisture to rot.

 

[CoyoteG]

Oh man!
I thought this was a lawyer joke.

 

[CosmickGold]

A mattock is exceptionally good for digging narrow, deep catholes. Here's mine, $10 from a flea market stand in Q.

I certainly do thank you for posting this information! Now that I understand that a 2' "well" is a bad idea, I also realize my big clunky posthole digger is NOT the right tool for the job. And yet, I don't like little shovels at all, because they can be impossible to push into hard ground. I didn't know what I should use instead until you showed me your mattock. So I just now ordered this one for myself. I like that it is small and comes apart for easy storage. It's SO much better than what I had.

Again, thank you so much for this bit of wise guidance!

 

[BelgianPup]

The obsession to get everything absolutely perfect often seems to end up with most people just shrugging and dropping stinky bags in the waste containers beside the gas pumps, or on the ground beside the dumpsters.

 

[John in Montreal]

pro tip make sure you have the hole already dug

 

[CosmickGold]

pro tip make sure you have the hole already dug

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

 

[Frood]

6" or deeper below the SOIL surface, so you need to remove however many inches of duff that are on top... Isn't waste high-nitrogen to begin with? Outhouses used to be over fairly deep holes so that you could wait a couple months or more between moving your poop rooms... I think the key here is the
MINIMUM depth of 6-8"... ie at LEAST but more is okay. Of bigger concern is to make sure you are at
least a couple hundred feet away from any water source to avoid the potential for contamination of drinking water.

As for too deep? I think that if you dig down and hit the water table, then you've dug too deep.

From the NPS about wilderness waste in Guadalupe Mountains...
https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/gumo...ore than a,trails, campsites or water sources

 

[jacqueg]

Keep in mind that a cat hole is differrent from a vault hole. A cat hole, ideally, leads to rapid decomp in place. Thus, among other things, don't dig cat holes where a lot of people already have. A vault hole is meant to store the stuff and to (eventually) be pumped for disposal at a sewage facility. That's why they get dug deep.

 

[Ripper238]

In Scouting I was taught ~6"-8", at least 200 ft from any water sources and to only use the hole once. The standard 6-8" is because in less dark rich soil in a desert or dryer areas there isn't as much dark organic soil as a forest to break it down.

Dig as deep as you want in a dark rich forest dirt, but its probably not necessary to dig a 1' post hole.

Awesome shovel BTW: https://www.amazon.com/FiveJoy-Mili...4575&sprefix=camping%20shovel,aps,131&sr=8-37

 

[John in Montreal]

You reply as if that is fact. NO ONE in this thread has repeated your answer. Could you post links to, reliable, trusted or verifiably accurate scientific sources. If not, then I call it to be Internet bull............

I usually use the same hole more than once. Cover each deposit with a bit of soil to keep the flies away. Pack your poop hole in layers like a cake.

 

[CosmickGold]

I usually use the same hole more than once. Cover each deposit with a bit of soil to keep the flies away. Pack your poop hole in layers like a cake.

Yeah. That's what I'd intended to do when I bought the post hole digger. Exactly what you said.

 

[Pancake Jake]

My experience is this. In the woods a nocturnal biodigester will remove the offending matter while you sleep. On the sod pop out a sod plug, place matter in hole at bottom of root masses, replace plug. I have no desert experience but would wager that the deposit dries out completely in a few days and eventually becomes indestinguishable from other organic matter flying around in the breeze. A happy thought for the next dust storm. As for holes the act of digging a hole loosens soil and allows air, water, and decomposers easier access to the waste. I am unaware of any studies on the matter.