What to do with all that @#$%?

Well, I've managed to fill the bucket in the composting toilet for the first time, so needed a place to dump the humanure. I should have been prepared ahead of time, but with everything else going on, I just hadn't gotten around to it. Looking in The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins again, I reread the chapter on composting the humanure. I knew I needed to build a composting bin to ensure that the leachate wouldn't escape into the ground, so I went out this morning to build one.

I used four sheets of the 1-inch plywood the composting toilet was made from. Each measured 41.5-inches x 49.5 inches, so I decided to leave three of them at that size and cut the front wall from 49.5-inches down to 24-inches to be able to access the bin easier. I started by nailing the back and side walls together before nailing the shorter front wall onto the bin.

For strength, I took four pieces of a two-by-four and screwed them into the corners, securing both walls to each two-by-four. This will give the bin additional strength as the compost presses against the walls as the bin gets fuller. The screws will hold better than the nails. That's it, though. There really wasn't much to the construction of the bin, basically just a big wooden box with four walls and a dirt floor.


After the bin was finished, I needed coarse organic material to use on the compost pile. I decided to use grass clippings as I have almost 14-acres of grass that replenishes my supply every week. I used the bagger on the push mower long enough to fill our garden trailer twice. Before adding the humanure, you have to place an 18-inch thick base layer of the organic material in the bottom of the compost bin. This acts as a sponge to absorb the leachate. After the base layer is in place, you can empty the bucket of humanure directly onto the center of the pile. Cover the humanure with additional organic material until you cannot see or smell it.


The organic material doesn't have to be grass clippings. You can also use hay, stray, leaves, or weeds. Make sure that the top of the pile always remains fairly flat so that you can easily add another layer of humanure and cover material. You will not need to turn the pile regularly as with other composting methods, as long as you sufficiently cover the humanure after each deposit. If done properly, your pile will compost aerobically (at a higher heat) rather than anaerobically, meaning more rapid and complete destruction of any potential human pathogens.

If you have any questions about the composting toilet or compost bin, don't hesitate to send me an email at chad.stumph@gmail.com. I'm always happy to answer questions and reply to comments. Stay green!