DIY Compost Toilet with Urine Diverter

[boler girl]

For those with campers w/o holding tanks, who want to boondock, you can make your own compost toilet with urine diverter with simple materials.

We put the toilet in a privacy pop-up shelter outside, and can now boondock for 5 days or longer depending on how long our fresh water lasts.

All you need is
3 5-gallon buckets (for height - 2 cut in half)
1 oil change funnel with long tube
1 camping toilet seat
1 container to collect the urine (must be low and stable)
garbage bags

I hope the photos are self-explanatory. We put coco coir on top of the solid waste, and have had no smell issues.

[tua]

Nice job!

[sokhapkin]

High tech design :-)

[Raspy]

After "going" do you simply spread coco coir on top of the pile? No stirring? And if so, how do you prep the coco coir so it is ready to use?

Thanks for the low tech design.

[boler girl]

Originally Posted by Raspy

After "going" do you simply spread coco coir on top of the pile? No stirring? And if so, how do you prep the coco coir so it is ready to use?

Thanks for the low tech design.

The coco coir came in a tightly packed cube from Amazon. We break it apart by hand into a bucket, and add about a cup on top of each pile. We also put some at the bottom of the bag to start with. No stirring.

[Glenn Baglo]

Have you thought about combining your DIY composting toilet with a DIY evaporative cooler? Two in one.

[Raspy]

Chantal,

Does it need a fan? How often do you have to toss the bag and start over? Do you have it mounted to the floor somehow?

The composting toilet idea takes a little getting used to, but not having a black tank is great. And yours is about $1,200. cheaper than an Air-Head.

[boler girl]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Chantal,

Does it need a fan? How often do you have to toss the bag and start over? Do you have it mounted to the floor somehow?

The composting toilet idea takes a little getting used to, but not having a black tank is great. And yours is about $1,200. cheaper than an Air-Head.

No fan, and it’s not secured to the ground. We toss the bag every 2 days, but it could last longer. We tried it at home first to test it, and even indoors it did not smell. Some people add cedar shavings to the coco coir for its scent. The urine is what smells, so we dispose of that every day.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by boler girl

We toss the bag every 2 days, but it could last longer.

So, you are not composting.

[boler girl]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

So, you are not composting.

That's beside the point, Glenn; I was looking for a solution to boondock without holding tanks. If one uses heavy-duty garbage bags, and stays in one location for weeks, perhaps, they would be able to properly compost their solid waste. Separating the liquid from the solid is key for smells and to properly dispose of the waste. Perhaps "DIY urine diverter toilet" would have been a more appropriate title.

[CarlD]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Have you thought about combining your DIY composting toilet with a DIY evaporative cooler? Two in one.

I think that's a crappy idea!

[CarlD]

Originally Posted by boler girl

That's beside the point, Glenn; I was looking for a solution to boondock without holding tanks. If one uses heavy-duty garbage bags, and stays in one location for weeks, perhaps, they would be able to properly compost their solid waste. Separating the liquid from the solid is key for smells and to properly dispose of the waste. Perhaps "DIY urine diverter toilet" would have been a more appropriate title.

We do something similar. We have a cassette toilet in our Snoozy but only use it for pee. We put a bit of happier campers in it for smell. For poop we use a 5 gallon bucket similar to you but we use wood dust from my shop. I added some weather seal to the underside of the lid to reduce smell. We put a couple hand fulls of sawdust in the bucket to start with and just shake it up a bit after each use to cover things and add an additional handful every couple days. I was pleasantly surprised it doesn't really smell. It can easily last for a week and a half. The pee just gets appropriately dispersed when boondocking.

[daltenes]

Ooops....gotta log in to see them. Thanks.

[Randomremy]

Where do you dispose of it?

[CarlD]

Typically we double bag it and put it in a dumpster, not in trash cans. You can also compost it or dump the contents in an outhouse, which composts it. I have seen some videos of people who use a similar method in their off grid homes that have composting bins they cycle thru.

[Gwenn]

Many years ago we used a bucket, a bag and kitty litter, scented if you prefer. Stock can be replenished wherever you are. Use the grain or recycled newspaper litter if you want to compost. A friend used the idea for a “bathroom” in her barn and used a pool noodle to hold the bag in place and provide comfort...

[Cori A.]

I think this is a very clever idea! I have a Scamp 13' w shower/bath, but I don't want to hassle with the toilet/black tank, so I've been doing what I've been doing for years car camping - a bucket with kitty litter. I've had no odor problems. But this is certainly a new twist and worth thinking about.

[tua]

Here is the best you tube video I found on making these.
from gonagain

https://youtu.be/AAaKtFXKX7w

[Bryan L.]

So, when a male is going #2 does his junk just hang out in the funnel? Sorry, but this seem mildly uncomfortable…

[tua]

Originally Posted by Bryan L.

So, when a male is going #2 does his junk just hang out in the funnel? Sorry, but this seem mildly uncomfortable…

Watch the gonagain video above. He addresses that issue.