What the sh*t is a composting toilet?
Unyoked explained
At Unyoked HQ we have a little saying, by itself it doesn’t quite make sense, and we definitely didn’t make it up, but it kind of guides everything we do - “the little big things”. From the size of the windows and where you park your car, to the way you make your coffee and what tapes we put in each cabin every single little piece of the Unyoked experience is a conscious design decision - all intentionally chosen to help more of us understand how nature can help us and then get us out there in as easy and effective way possible, so we can do it as often as we need.
We often talk about the “why?” behind what we do, but in this series we’ll be diving into the details of some of the “whats” of the Unyoked experience to help you understand the decisions we’ve made so you can get the most out of your time in nature with us.
And with that, let’s kick things off with:
What the sh*t is a composting toilet?
Our cabins exist in the landscape while aiming to impact it as little as possible. The idea is to be in the landscape, not on it. From the beginning we wanted to create experiences that were both epic and sustainable, protecting the environment and helping others see how seemingly small decisions can go a long way. With this in mind, our cabins use a range of low impact technology most of them you’ve probably heard of before; solar power, rainwater tanks, wood fire, and some you might not have, aka composting toilets.
If you haven't heard of these guys before, think of it like the loo at your place, only take away the flush…oh, and the water. Now, we know what you're thinking…”gross, right?” But actually “no” is the correct answer there. Composting toilets have come a long way since that hole in the ground you might be picturing from some formative experience during your year 5 camping trip. In fact, composting toilets are an increasingly common way to reduce water usage and environmentals impact, and a lot of people now have them in their homes. There’s also a sh!tload (yes, we’ll be keeping with this theme of puns) of different types out there, at Unyoked the system we’ve opted for is odourless, comfortable and sustainable. Tick. Tick. Tick.
How do composting toilets work?
Great question from you in the back. Now, for a bit of context, your toilet at home needs a proverbial sh!tstack of water to work. In fact, each flush can use anywhere from 4-11L of water.
Let’s put that in perspective for a second. According to Google, the average person flushes around 5 times a day or 35 times a week. That means a 2 person household that flushes the toilet 35 times a week uses anywhere from 280L to 770L of water a week.
To make that a bit more relatable, that’s about 1,540 bottles of water, over 2,310 cans of beer and almost four times the daily water intake of an adult elephant. Regardless of how you measure it, that’s a sh!ttonne of water.
In contrast, composting toilets are completely waterless. When you use a composting toilet at an Unyoked cabin, liquids and solids drop down the chute into a chamber below the cabin and turn to compost.
Once you've done your business, you simply cover it with a sprinkle of sawdust provided. The sawdust helps control odours and provides tasty food for the good bacteria to compost. Over time, the waste breaks down into usable compost.
Are composting toilets sanitary?
If you just had a flashback to your last experience with the portaloos at Glastonbury, don’t worry, our guys, definitely not the same.
Composting toilets are specially designed to be hygienic and odour-free. Because they don't use water there's less risk of leaks, blockages or overflowing. And since the waste is covered with sawdust, and we have a ventilation fan always running, there's no smell or mess.
Some would argue that the organic processes taking place within the chamber are more sanitary than the sewage systems in most of our houses, but hey, that’s for another time.
Why does Unyoked use composting toilets?
Another great question Gary. We design our cabins to be 100% off the grid, to have a minimal footprint on the nature we unlock, and to help open our community’s eyes to how some of this tech can be helpful in their own sustainability journeys - composting loos are a big part of that.
Not having to rely on plumbing not only significantly reduces water usage, it also allows us to unlock these epic nature areas and not disturb the landscape while doing so.
So, next time you're using one of our cabins and need to make a pit stop, you can do so knowing you're helping to reduce your environmental impact just by answering nature’s call.
Some tips for using the loos at Unyoked
While our systems are odourless, we recommend you keep the lid closed so the vent fan is more efficient (you are in the wilderness afterall)
Please only put toilet paper, wood chips/sawdust, and your 1s and 2s down the chute.
Don’t put paper towels or sanitary products down the chute. They take too long to break down and have chemicals in them that disrupt the composting process. Please use the bin provided next to the toilet.
Don’t be afraid to be liberal with the wood chip, it’s a great catalyst for accelerating the composting process