06-04-2022, 05:06 AM
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#5
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Yurt Forum Addict
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: NH
Posts: 108
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Re: Toilet ideas
I do think things change (are way harder) with a toddler, so you need to do what works best for you and your family. But The Humanure Handbook by Joe Jenkins (written in the 70’s and still an amazing option) is cheap, easy, low tech, environmental best, and all around awesome for anyone willing to try it! The toilet can be set up in the yurt, but mine is in a small outbuilding. Walking outside and up to that building is truly a highlight of my day. I think our bodies developed for thousands of years to stand up and walk away from camp to poop. Just feels right and “things” go great. It gets me off the couch and outside to appreciate nature. I’ve seen (noticed) more stars, sunrises, animal tracks, and birds singing just because I’ve walked outside. If nature happens to be not so pleasant right then, I appreciate running back to a bug-free, snow-free, wind blocked, warm, lighted structure and give a quick thanks of gratitude for this perfectly functional structure most would consider sub-standard.
Because you switch out buckets, if company is coming you can put a fresh bucket out. Even though there really is no smell if done correctly. A friend who lives in a multi-million dollar home on the ocean once said my bathroom is cleaner than a lot of her other friends. Lol. And I really only sweep it out I’ve maybe cleaned it 4 times in 10 years. You compost the buckets (quick pallet structure works) and after two years you have a big pile of fantastic compost each spring. The cheap compost you buy at the big box stores is strained sewage from... somewhere... baked until everything is dead and broken down and then bagged up for sale. Whatever folks flush down their toilets is in that compost. Kitty litter, wipes, cleaners, medication , etc. For those of us wo/farm animals, this compost pile will cook whatever you put in there: bones, grease, dairy. The birds and squirrels pick through it, but I’ve never had a problem with wildlife. A whole array of worms and bugs move in to break everything down as nature intended. You also want to not pee too much in the buckets, so I have a feminine funnel set up and stashed in the yurt to use for most bathroom trips, day or night. I use leaves (shredded is the best) collected each fall, but there are lots of covers you can use. Forget what you “know” and try it. You might be surprised. Good luck!
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