There is a grown trend in the green housing community for using composting toilets. While traditional toilets flush human waste and paper away with water to a septic system or municipal sewer treatment plant, the “green” composting toilet is allowing homeowners another way to conserve water and contribute to replenishing nutrients in their soil.

Owners and manufacturers of the composting toilets vigorous agree that when disposal is done correctly there is no smell or danger to humans or animals. Several styles of composting toilets have been designed to keep pace with the demand. While some require emptying every few weeks, and more closely resemble outdoor port-a-johns, there are also design that look identical to traditional toilets that contain a special internal composting unit that needs to be emptied only a few times each year.

Users of composting toilets need to add a mix of special bacteria to accelerate the composting process and create an odorless environment.  Composting toilets can save homeowners up to eight thousand gallons of water each year and for communities with high water and sewer prices, this can result in significant savings.

While not every residence is ideal for a composting toilet, they are suitable for areas with weak sewers and limited septic capabilities. They are also ideal for pool-houses or outdoor cabin where traditional plumbing would be cost-prohibitive.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: While composting toilets may not be ideal for every  home, they can provide both cost-savings and environmental benefits to some.