Most people don’t even know what a compost toilet is, let alone how and where to get one. One if the common misconceptions about composting toilets is that they are difficult to work with and smell really badly, considering the source. In truth this is not true, and are actually fairly simple to use. You can also have an endless supply of compost for your lawn or garden. It is also ideal for those who are living off the grid, in a remote location, or even on a boat.

With a compost toilet, there is little or no need for water to flush. Self contained toilets hold the waste in a tank, and while some are fully self contained, others are connected to a remote tank system, usually in a basement. Self contained units are larger than a conventional toilet, but take up the same space. Usually the moist material is dried by using some kind of material, untreated saw dust, or peat moss are good examples. This is added after each use, and then rotated to not only provide better aeration, but to draw away any odors as well. Some home owner’s who use a compost toilet also use a bacterial starting agent, to speed up decomposition.

While the smaller, self contained units are ideal for week end cabins, and using on a boat, for year round continuous usage, the remote units are far more economical. The waste flows out of the compost toilet and into the composting chamber below, and some of these are fully automated set ups, with timed rotation, and automatic drying and composting agents added. When it’s all done, you would simply remove the finished composting, and add to your lawn or garden.

Now you can’t just go out to your local toilet supplier and pick one of these units up. You may be able to find simple models at RV and boat accessory dealers, but the majority of products you will find online. While there are not as many manufactures and dealers in this area, you can expect high quality products. Cabala’s is a well known outfitter of many sportsman’s products, and they offer a variety of fully self contained compost toilets from manufactures like Excel, and Sun-Mar. The price for these models can run from under $100, to well over one thousand, depending on features, ease of use, and how difficult it is to install.

It is a good idea to really sit down and think about whether or not you really want to go with one of these units. It is not the nasty mess that most people think of, and can actually be quite environmentally friendly. It greatly reduces water usage, and waste, and know where your waste is going too. It cuts down on spending money of fertilizer as well. Now when you are thinking about your usages, also think about how much work you want to put into it. While a fully self contained compost toilet is fairly easy to install, and can even sometimes be portable, a fully integrated system is a little more complicated to set up. You have to have enough space below the toilet unit, whether inside the house or outside, and have to provide ventilation.