Poo keeping for 1 / 2 weeks?

[Bobflhtc]

Here's what I do.
Dig a hole.
Poo onto paper towel I have placed in toilet.
dump into hole.
If there are no fire restrictions I burn paper otherwise place paper in trash ( I don't bury paper)

If there is a pit toilet I walk it over in plastic trash bag and dump there instead of hole

For urine I have a gallon jug I use.

It works for me anyway and I get rid of waste immediately

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

 . . . I've voiced it here before and will again, crapping in plastic bags and then tossing it in the trash should not be done . . .

The poor maintenance guy had to clean some up that they were too lazy to actually put in the dumpster AFTER the bags got ripped by the garbage truck after tipping the dumpster . . .

Baby and adult diapers (pee & poo), dog poo, cat (pee & poo), et.al. are put in the trash (even in hospitals, by CDC directive).  Our addition to the waste stream is minuscule.  It's not ideal, but it is currently accepted.  The one cravat is if you have a communicable disease you should never dispose of any bodily waste in common trash.

Composting is best but not very practical in a mobile existence and I can smell them.  Cheap portable toilets are cheaply made, don't work well, smell, and usually leak after using for a while.  Expensive portable toilets are complicated, require chemicals that are hard to separate from the sewage stream, and can make a mess when dumping.

It is unfair to conflate slovenly practices of some with properly packaged disposal.  Proper packaging means in plastic bags that are 1.5 mils thick or thicker, nothing leaking (pee or runny poo should be captured in an absorber like kitty litter or sawdust) and preferably double bagged.  Walmart bags and the like (~ 0.3 mils thick) are not good packaging.

Until health authorities direct otherwise, I will continue to bag and dump.

 

[lenny flank]

^^^^^ I quite agree. Compared to the amount of dog crap and baby diapers that gets trashed every day, we are a non-entity. For urban campers, the dumpster is the best option.

Rural campers have options that urban campers don't have.

 

[John61CT]

Composting is best but not very practical in a mobile existence and I can smell them.

C-Head or Nature's Head are nothing like what you describe. Unless being used improperly.

Used properly there is **no** bad smell, what you throw away (or put into your garden when home) is less unpleasant than coffee grounds.

Yes expensive. Yes you wouldn't have space in a small trailer or minivan.

But those are the **only** con's.

And several equivalent DIY setups have been posted in various forums, so the expensive issue goes away if you're handy and motivated.

Chemical based solutions are IMO only worth it if you have regular access to official dump stations.

Plain old bag-and-dump is fine for the rest of us.

 

[highdesertranger]

my pet peeve about the plastic bag method is when people dispose of it where the is human interaction with the dumpers waste. like gas station trash cans were some minimum wage worker has to deal with your poop. or dumpsters that people normally dig through. or like California where all trash is dug through at the transfer stations separating the recyclables. they even go through it at the landfills looking for illegal dumping. 2 years ago at RTR I picked up a nylon bag along side the dirt road (as I often do) it was full of full plastic poop bags. lets face it nobody wants to deal with somebody else's poop. when I use the plastic bag method I take it to the landfill or transfer station(if they don't sort) I never put it in public trash cans. this brings me to another point, someone said dump it in a vault toilet. please never do this. the pumpers that clean out vault toilets and Port-a-potties will hate you. at last years RTR we had a minor problem with this. highdesertranger

 

[Ticklebellly]

 Cheap portable toilets are cheaply made, don't work well, smell, and usually leak after using for a while.  Expensive portable toilets are complicated, require chemicals that are hard to separate from the sewage stream, and can make a mess when dumping.

Cannot agree given personal experience.   My PortaPottie is seriously easy to use, was not high on the cost scale.   As it stores under one end of the bed, I can report confidently that it contains odour.   Never had a leak in the 7 years I have had it in the van.   The single sheet T-paper and the chemical I use are all septic system safe.

 

[Dingfelder]

The rest areas here in my part of Oregon have receptacles for putting your doggie poop in. Some even have free bags to do it with. I couldn't see any problem dumping your own bagged poop somewhere that is already full of bagged poop, and regularly cleaned.

The point about diapers going straight into the trash makes sense to me too. Babies can go through a hellacious amount, so it's not like my own contribution every day or two is going to stand out or upset the balance of anything.

I'd also suggest, in a residential area, saving up all your bags till garbage pick-up day and then putting them in a garbage can late the night before, when nobody is likely to revisit the can. Double-bag with at least one really strong bag out of two, each tied-off tightly, in case the can gets tipped over somehow. (We have bears around here, and dogs will do the same thing once in a rare while.) This is what I do while driveway surfing so that friends don't have to smell my stuff all week and I don't have to bother them at whatever odd hours day or night that I have to poop. Their dog and bird poop goes in the exact same can, by the way.

I took the tip of someone in this thread and got an ammo can for it, but bigger than he said because I needed it to hold more ... multiple bags plus the kitty litter, coir, etc., start to take up a fair amount of room. I haven't used it long at all but so far it's the only container that I've found to keep the stink inside.

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 on the small Port-a-potties. I have had one for 10 years. while I don't use it all the time, when I do it works fine. I use 4 methods, plastic bag, port-a-potty, cat hole or existing infrastructure. highdesertranger

 

[lenny flank]

It should perhaps be pointed out that most of us probably aren't dumping poop very often anyway--in 3 years I don't think I have used my bucket-with-bag more than 4-5 times. When in town, I can poop almost anywhere in a McD's or gas station or whatever, and when in the sticks, I can poop in any hole in the ground.

It's just not something that comes up very often for me.

(A question for our desert-dwellers though--I have heard that one should not poop in a cathole in the desert because there's not enough bacteria in the soil to decompose it quickly. True?)

 

[ZoNiE]

It is pretty obvious to dumpster divers and recycle sorters that a diaper is what it is and will be avoided. To a lesser degree, a dog poop bag. A walmart bag, not so much... IMO there are too many diapers made out of stuff that never decomposes in the landfills but that is a totally different topic.

 

[John61CT]

If you want to be kind to those already routinely dealing with poo,

buy a supply of bright biohazard bags

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Biohazard-ba...zard-waste-liners-60-Gal-1-3-mil/391344664914

But personally I doubt that'd in reality be doing them any favors.

Bottom line they're dealing with cr^p all the time anyway, plus much more dangerous hazmat stuff like broken glass & used needles, so they're damn careful or dead soon anyway.

 

[LadyJo]

Thanks everyone.
After looking at the several options / cost / space / chem vs. other / type of camping … and my own body habits:
Short luggable loo for use.
Smaller trash bag for use in loo. (not grocery plastic bag)
Wrap into dog doo bag for identification.
Keep in larger amo box. (possible deodorizer)
Toss in trash bin.

Possible use of sawdust / gel / or? for "old lady issues".

 

[GreyWulf]

Use kitty litter you know the the kind that makes cat poop Clump up scoop it out like you would cat Poop throw it in a paper bag dig a hole bury it you're done.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

C-Head or Nature's Head are nothing like what you describe. Unless being used improperly.
Used properly there is **no** bad smell . . .

I've only had exposure to two portable composting toilets (Nature's Head I think); they both smelled.  I was told by both owners that they didn't smell, but I could smell them as soon as I came up to their camper.

Question: If there is no smell, what happens to all the off-gassing the bacteria do while breaking down the waste?

my pet peeve about the plastic bag method is when people dispose of it where the is human interaction with the dumpers waste.  like gas station trash cans were some minimum wage worker has to deal with your poop.  or dumpsters that people normally dig through.  or like California where all trash is dug through at the transfer stations separating the recyclables.  they even go through it at the landfills looking for illegal dumping . . .

Gas station trash cans I have watched emptied:  worker comes up, removes cover, pulls up excess plastic bag that was folded over the outside of the can, ties bag, removes from can, drags to dumpster.  No interaction with garbage.

Anyone who's job is to go through garbage and is not wearing a full hazmat suit and at least a NIOSH CFR 84 Class 99 respirator has a death wish or is terminally stupid.  Human feces is the least of the possible biological or chemical hazards they could come in contact with in trash.

Cannot agree given personal experience.   My PortaPottie is seriously easy to use, was not high on the cost scale.   As it stores under one end of the bed, I can report confidently that it contains odour.   Never had a leak in the 7 years I have had it in the van . . .

My only knowledge is one acquaintance that used his PortaPottie for one trip (two weeks?) and promptly threw it in the trash.  New.  Leaked and smelled.
Three different persons on another site that I frequent had similar experiences and promptly got rid of the offender.  Maybe the older ones were built better?

 

[johnny b]

If your travels bring you east to the Nation's Capitol, head across the river into Arlington or Alexandria to fling your poo into the trash without a smidgen of guilt.
A joint effort Waste to Energy plant burns our trash, scrubs the exhaust flue, generates 23 MegaWatts of power, & sends the ash out to neighboring landfills as an alternative to soil for covering. Been doing it since 1988...and believe me when I tell ya that both Arl. and Alex. governments are VERY progressive (code); would never invest in a 'dirty' solution.
We have three collections each week...brown cart=trash (gets burned), blue cart=recyclables, green cart=yard waste.

https://www.covanta.com/Our-Facilities/Covanta-Alexandria

https://www.covanta.com/Sustainability/Energy-from-Waste/EfW-Facilities-Incinerators

 

[Dingfelder]

I've only had exposure to two portable composting toilets (Nature's Head I think); they both smelled.  I was told by both owners that they didn't smell, but I could smell them as soon as I came up to their camper.

Question: If there is no smell, what happens to all the off-gassing the bacteria do while breaking down the waste?

I've seen a few vids on composting toilets, and they have pointed out the importance of the vent they have to the outside, so the gases can escape.  Outside the van/RV/trailer, I mean.  The units came with a hose for it.
Supposedly that makes a big difference, which isn't hard to imagine.  

As a master gardener, we learned that it's anaerobic rotting that makes the worst stink by far.  So if you let oxygen in, you produce less stink.  Changes the balance of microbes, etc.

Of course, you have to keep the vent open ... all the time basically ... and have the hole drilled into your vehicle for it in the first place. I *have* seen a video or two in which a person said they didn't bother making a hole and attaching the hose, and insisting everything smelled fine anyway. I don't see any reason to believe them, though. It certainly runs counter to what our University lecturers told us about biological decay.

 

[John61CT]

Yes, proper use and installation, including the active ventilation running 24*7 is of course required.

Fan uses very little power, maybe 2-3AH per day.

Coir is the best medium, and it does take a bit of experience to get tge dry/moisture balance right so the mixing crank stays easy to turn.

But really, easier and more pleasant to deal with than any other method's routine, and as I said, absolutely no unpleasant odors when implemented properly, would invite the Queen of England aboard.

 

[Almost There]

"Composting' is a great bit of misnomer actually. The toilets (C-Head/Nature's Head etc.) are actually properly known as 'Separating Toilets'.

Composting takes months to accomplish so no actual composting takes place. The toilets are designed simply to separate liquid from solid. The separation prevents the nasty odor traditionally found with mixing of the two. Once separated there is little to no odor associated with either although I do find dumping either of the two tanks a bit 'fragrant'.

The liquid tank on my C-Head is a 1 gallon standard water jug - Nature's Head is a proprietary tank designed for it. As a single user I get several days use of it before needing to empty the liquid tank.

I use pine shavings for the solid tank as it is easily and inexpensively available. A $4 to $6.00 package from the pet department of W/M will last me several months. I usually empty the solid tank once a month so that it doesn't become to heavy to tote.

Perhaps my nose isn't as sensitive as others might be but I waited a couple of months after starting to use the C-Head before deciding that the ventilation kit that came with it could be re-purposed. After almost 3 years of continuous use I have had no regrets about not installing the ventilation kit. There has been only one time that the solid tank emitted an odor and it was after a combination of 7 or 8 miles of extremely bumpy back road and a week long episode of digestive problems... . Simply emptying the tank at first opportunity eliminated the odor.

For me, the C-Head has more than paid for itself in savings from not having to pay for fairly expensive chemicals and dump station fees.

 

[John61CT]

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Biohazard-ba...zard-waste-liners-60-Gal-1-3-mil/391344664914

These would be less alarming https://www.amazon.com/PET-Compostable-Eco-Friendly-Certified-VINCOTTE-Meet/dp/B0799F836Z/

 

[Ticklebellly]

"Composting' is a great bit of misnomer actually. The toilets (C-Head/Nature's Head etc.) are actually properly known as 'Separating Toilets'.

I use pine shavings for the solid tank as it is easily and inexpensively available.

I have helped install and use proper composting toilets like the Clivus Multrum so understand the difference in using a separating toilet arrangement.

Given the original question to the thread, and the one to two week period attached to the question, do the pine shavings make disposal/ dumping more difficult?   For example, do you dump or dispose in a standard dump point?   By standard dump point I mean the kind of concrete hole-in-the-ground large RVs will drain a black tank into and the same facility I often use dispose of the contents of my Porta Pottie into.   It's the volume of what must be stored between dumps that is of most interest to me.   Yes, my Porta Pottie does get a bit of a slosh up as it fills but never had a leak.   I imagine the separating toilet contents would not get very wet and loose.