Composting Toilets!

Composting toilets. Where do I start? I have a toilet phobia, I struggle to… go. Depending on circumstance. I don’t hold onto it, I don’t try to make myself ill, if the surroundings aren’t right, it just doesn’t happen. Nothing moves.

My sister moved to The States years ago. We spent three glorious weeks absorbing the Americanness of America but nothing moved, until the plane started to come into land at Manchester Airport and I knew we needed to get the bags, back to the car and put the foot on the pedal, quickly as we neared home. Three weeks, I know it’s not healthy, it’s something I don’t control. We even moved sites in Europe, after just one night, due to toilet facilities. I need my space, I need my privacy.

So, to arrive on site knowing that there were composting toilets had The Boss worried for my welfare. But, knowing I had my caravan toilet and the fact that I could kick him out for a moment meant I wasn’t worried, we were only here for two nights so I’d be ok.

As soon as the legs were down, the routine ensued. Check in, let reception know which pitch we’d landed on, find the service point and check out the loos and showers on the way back to the van. Up the steps, code on the door, no unsupervised children allowed, I enter with trepidation.

A low, caravan style, plastic toilet greets me, lid closed. The obligatory lifting of the lid just to see what lies beneath. A vast black hole looms below, squinting into the dark and murky depths I can just about make out toilet paper. No smell, no real visual evidence of what is down there, with trepidation I pay a visit, just a quick wee. The loo is so low it’s reminiscent of my primary school loos. No splash, no noise and even stranger, no handle to flush. Flushing a toilet is second nature, it’s something you do without thinking. The only requirement here when you’ve done is to close the lid. You can even use loo paper without a risk of blocking it.

Whilst perched on the throne there is some reading to do on the back of the door explaining a little bit about the type of toilet you are currently sat upon.

The code on the door, is nice and high with a notice saying children must be accompanied. For safety sake I suppose, you could quite easily loose a small child down the shute.

A roughly drawn diagram pinned to the wall near the hand basins give you a rough idea of the science behind it all. Apparently the ‘stuff’ can stay down there for yonks. For a more intense and scientific look into the process of the composting loo Click Here.

So, all in all, despite my toilet phobia I was happy and able to use these loos, no smell no splash and eco friendly too.

Another toilet related blog

Camping Toilet Blocks