Saturday, August 18, 2012

Our First Compost Toilet

After a year or so, we finally have a commissioned compost toilet, and  it has successfully completed it second week.

toilet gallery and greenhouse

as it was last year - some change eh ?

new door

neat and tidy, (in need of paint )

covered in sawdust - and no smell
 Strictly speaking, it is a compost toilet, not a composting toilet, as the composting is done separately, in a dedicated compost bin.

I theory you can leave the emptying for a few days, and there is no smell, but we've decided to empty it every day, as part of the 'shutting up shop' routine, so it will be nice and clean for the start of each day.

This may sound like a chore, and not very pleasant, but so far it's been fine, not smelly, and worth it, as we know it's for the good of the garden.


bucket, compost bin, and rain water to hand for rinsing out 

After a year or so we will have good fertile compost. Opinion is divided about whether it is safe to put the composton vegetables, so to be on the safe side, we will use it on the other parts of the garden. We have plenty of other compost for the veg plot.


inside the compost bin, every so often we cover this with a layer of grass cuttings as odour control

the instructions!

We are happy with our work, and so far the 'customer' reaction is good, with such comments as: 


"Very light and airy"
"Much nicer that a portaloo"
So, good beginnings, we'll keep you posted of our experiences 

Here Comes The Sun: Newcastle Arts Festival

Get down to Newcastle Co. Down this weekend for a great Arts Festival, lots to do for young and old, and all in glorious sunsine!

These pictures were all taken this morning: