Modern composting toilets, also known as "dry" or "waterless" toilets, are hygienic, odourless and convenient. A composting toilet is very much an ecological choice and offers a fantastic toilet solution for the glamping industry.
If you and/or your customers require a truly off-grid solution - where there is no mains water or sewage on site - then a composting / waterless toilet will allow you to present environmental credentials of the highest order.
Mind you, the composting toilet is just one part of the overall process: you'll also benefit from a composting bin (the ideal environment for an effective composting process), and bedding material.
For further details, please click on the tabs below, insequence, to understand what's involved.
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Also known as “dry” or “waterless” toilets, composting toilets are standalone toilet units, which work in a different way from the flushing loo to which we’re generally accustomed in our home or office environment.
How are they different?
They work by collecting and separating urine (wee) and solids (poo) into different compartments or places, allowing you to deal with each independently. In a composting toilet unit there is no connection to mains water (for flushing) or a mains waste pipe (to take the waste away).
So they're ideal in many applications where you don't have (or want) mains connection. They are particularly applicable to off-grid applications like camping and glamping sites.
Because there’s no flushing water involved, the volume of waste with which you have to deal is dramatically reduced. See our section 9 "Eco Credentials" for more details.
Key fact # 1:
There’s no hiding from the fact that you’ll need to become accustomed to a different mindset when using and/or operating a composting toilet – but the environmental benefits and potential cost savings are huge.
Key fact # 2:
Composting toilets are the first part of a two-part system: the vital, additional ingredient is a separate composting bin.
Step 1: the toilet collects the waste.
Step 2: the composting bin converts that waste into compost...and this takes a bit of time.
You’ll need a certain amount of involvement to make the two parts work together. But it’s simple! Read section 6 on “The composting process” for more details.
We offer two versions of composting toilets:
(1) The Eco and the Populett work as true collection tanks and composters where you will add "bulking material" into the toilet to cover the solids after every "poo" event. These toilets are heavily insulated so that heat builds and the composting process begins in the toilet unit itself.
(2) The Villa 9000, Villa 9010 and Villa 9020 are waste collecting toilets, which in outward appearance are similar to what we use at home. The subtle difference is there is no composting activity within these units and bulking material is not required. You will need to transfer the solids from the small 23 litre waste collection tank in the body of the unit (Villa 900 & Villa 9010) or a larger 50 litre collection tank below (Villa 9020). Transfer the collected "poo" as and when required to a separate composter (using the lidded waste tank). In these two units, . In design these look very much like the white porcelain toilet to which we're all accustomed, but they are still a compost toilet where no water is required and urine and faecal matter are separated. In the Villa range of products, the contents of the tank are always kept hidden by a special flap, which only opens when you sit down. A fan (mains or battery-powered) will operate to evacuate any smell.
Whichever of our toilet versions you choose, the toilet is essentially the collection and separation system for the raw ingredients. And just to be clear, by “ingredients” we do of course mean urine (wee) and solids (poo).
It really is all about the separation with composting toilets.
Once the wee and solids have been separated and collected, the solids will be transferred to a composting bin. In this composting bin, over time, the solids will be completely broken down and made safe by the composting process. (This is described in the section on “The Composting Process").
By keeping the collection and composting separate, the “collecting”toilet itself can be simplified: and whether the toilet is for your own use or for glamping guests, keeping it simple is REALLY good!
Composting toilets need to be robust, stylish and functional whilst offering the benefits of reduced water consumption, no sewage disposal costs and negligible energy bills. It’s a compact toilet that ticks all the environmental boxes and doesn't take up much space!
Key fact # 2: It really is all about the separation!The key to a low-maintenance, simple compost toilet is to keep liquids away from the solids.The separation of the two keeps maintenance at a minimum, makes it easy to deal with any odours and requires less frequent emptying.
For composting toilets, it really is all about the separation!
When you mix urine and solids together the result is termed “black water.” Left alone, this “brew” will start to break down and it will quickly become smelly. We really don’t want that.
So, we have to make sure that wee and solids do not mix. Enter, stage right, the composting toilet…backed up by a urine collection tank or a urine soakaway pit…and a composting bin to compost solids.
This is where users have to get used to using a composting toilet in a different way from the loo at home because the answer is to separate the wee from the poo as you're using the toilet.
Key fact # 2: ALL users need to SIT DOWN to use a composting toilet. As you sit, you'll notice that it's laid out in a slightly different way from at home. It's not whacky, it's just a bit different. Inside the "drop zone" you'll spot a urine diverter or urine separating bowl...it will become clear as you use the toilet. It's very simple.
Whether male or female, when you sit down on a composting toilet toilet, urine will be directed to the front and down the urine diverter and solids will drop down towards the rear into the main chamber of the “collecting” composting toilet. It doesn't matter whether you're male or female, it works the same way: but you do need to be seated. We don't want urine in the main chamber: that's just for poo.
Remember what we said about “black water,” if you mix urine and solids in the composting toilet, you’re creating challenging conditions.
The urine and solids separator:
The separator in the bowl of composting toilets is specially designed for this purpose. It has a front part to capture and direct the urine away, whilst a chute towards the rear ensures solids go straight down into the container below.
Once the wee and solids have been separated and collected, the solids will be transferred to a composting bin. In this composting bin, over time, the solids will be completely broken down and made safe by the composting process. (This is described in the section on “The Composting Process").
For composting toilets, it really is all about the separation!
When you mix urine and solids together the result is termed “black water.” Left alone, this “brew” will start to break down and it will quickly become smelly. We really don’t want that.
So, we have to make sure that wee and solids do not mix. Enter, stage right, the composting toilet…backed up by a urine collection tank or a urine soakaway pit…and a composting bin to compost solids.
This is where users have to get used to using a composting toilet in a different way from the loo at home because the answer is to separate the wee from the poo as you're using the toilet.
Key fact # 2: ALL users need to SIT DOWN to use a composting toilet. As you sit, you'll notice that it's laid out in a slightly different way from at home. It's not whacky, it's just a bit different. Inside the "drop zone" you'll spot a urine diverter or urine separating bowl...it will become clear as you use the toilet. It's very simple.
Whether male or female, when you sit down on a composting toilet toilet, urine will be directed to the front and down the urine diverter and solids will drop down towards the rear into the main chamber of the “collecting” composting toilet. It doesn't matter whether you're male or female, it works the same way: but you do need to be seated. We don't want urine in the main chamber: that's just for poo.
Remember what we said about “black water,” if you mix urine and solids in the composting toilet, you’re creating challenging conditions.
The urine and solids separator:
The separator in the bowl of composting toilets is specially designed for this purpose. It has a front part to capture and direct the urine away, whilst a chute towards the rear ensures solids go straight down into the container below.
Once the wee and solids have been separated and collected, the solids will be transferred to a composting bin. In this composting bin, over time, the solids will be completely broken down and made safe by the composting process. (This is described in the section on “The Composting Process").
For composting toilets, it really is all about the separation!
When you mix urine and solids together the result is termed “black water.” Left alone, this “brew” will start to break down and it will quickly become smelly. We really don’t want that.
So, we have to make sure that wee and solids do not mix. Enter, stage right, the composting toilet…backed up by a urine collection tank or a urine soakaway pit…and a composting bin to compost solids.
This is where users have to get used to using a composting toilet in a different way from the loo at home because the answer is to separate the wee from the poo as you're using the toilet.
Key fact # 2: ALL users need to SIT DOWN to use a composting toilet. As you sit, you'll notice that it's laid out in a slightly different way from at home. It's not whacky, it's just a bit different. Inside the "drop zone" you'll spot a urine diverter or urine separating bowl...it will become clear as you use the toilet. It's very simple.
Whether male or female, when you sit down on a composting toilet toilet, urine will be directed to the front and down the urine diverter and solids will drop down towards the rear into the main chamber of the “collecting” composting toilet. It doesn't matter whether you're male or female, it works the same way: but you do need to be seated. We don't want urine in the main chamber: that's just for poo.
Remember what we said about “black water,” if you mix urine and solids in the composting toilet, you’re creating challenging conditions.
The urine and solids separator:
The separator in the bowl of composting toilets is specially designed for this purpose. It has a front part to capture and direct the urine away, whilst a chute towards the rear ensures solids go straight down into the container below.
Once the wee and solids have been separated and collected, the solids will be transferred to a composting bin. In this composting bin, over time, the solids will be completely broken down and made safe by the composting process. (This is described in the section on “The Composting Process").
Consider our Quick Composter eco 220 to finish off the composting process
For the composting toilet to be truly successful, a bit of re-education in toilet habits is required. Using a composting toilet requires a slightly different method from how everyone uses a toilet at home or in the office. And as usingthem is a little different from a standard toilet, your guests / users will need to get their heads around this fact:
(1) you (women, men, girls and boys) always need to sit down to use it
(2) the absence of water generally means that you will need to add some "bulking material" once you've completed your "business". This will mean adding a peat/bark type compost down the loo after each visit. Our eco 200 and Populett 220 work in this way.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND SENSITIVELY WORDED SIGNS AND INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROOM WHERE YOUR COMPOSTING TOILET IS LOCATED.
It is estimated that in a domestic environment we each consume about 150 litres of water per day across a range of "activities."
To break this down a little, whilst showering and bathing, clothing and dishwashing consume large amounts of water as single activities, these may only take place once a day or a few times per week. e.g. a 5 minute electric-powered shower might consume 8 litres per minute, 40 litres per shower. Power showers consume much, much more.
Toilet habits:
However, the average healthy human being will visit the toilet 8-10 times per day. Even though modern toilet cisterns are generally restricted to a 4-6 litre flush, by adding on hand-washing as well, some sources indicate we use up to 10 litres of fresh water per toilet visit! So, that's a potential 60-100 litres of fresh water flushed away by every one of us, every day. That's a lot for a scarce resource.
A composting toilet requires absolutely no water. It simply separates urine and faecal matter in different directions.
Instead of a "standard" toilet cistern, which requires mains water and "consumes" 4-6 litres of water and waste with every flush, a composting toilet requires absolutely no water: it simply separates urine and faecal matter in different directions. By separating the two, waste volume is probably reduced by 75-80%.
Although personal habits and health vary from person to person, if we were all to drink the recommended 2 litres of liquid a day then we can generally assume about 1½ litres of that will come back out as urine. If you remove the flushing water from the toilet process, you're "potentially" reducing water waste to 1½ rather than 60-100 litres per person, per day. And as a composting toilet also separates urine and faecal matter in different directions, the resultant waste volume is furthered reduced by 75-80%. You simply have a certain volume of faecal matter.
To summarise their eco credentials, as composting toilets do not need water, they conserve our precious water resources. They massively reduce the use of fresh flushing water and therefore prevent the production of large volumes of (unnecessary) waste water which can harm watercourses and or need treatment at a sewage plant of sewage treatment works. Where you might otherwise collect waste in a cesspool, holding tank or septic tank, the use of composting toilets will mean that you will cut out the carbon footprint created by truck journeys to clean these tanks.
Please note: please consult our product sheets for more detailed information
Product Name
Capacity
Designed for
Ventilation
Power required?
Material
Dry weight
We hope to keep you informed of any interesting news and new developments within Glampsan.
We at Glampsan, believe that interest in eco-friendly, off-grid and sustainable glamping holidaying will be boosted in 2020
The question of going back to the old outside toilet may provoke a definite NO! But is that viewpoint changing?
