Something that we’ve desperately needed since arriving is a decent outside composting loo, if only to save muddy hordes coming in and out of the house in the depths of winter. We inherited an old tin hut of an outside loo, that had the particularly endearing characteristic of discharging its contents about 2 feet away from the rear of the hut (something we originally failed to notice until after a particularly busy weekend). The new convenience separates solids and liquids, enabling the composting of the former, and the use of the latter (dilute) as a nitrogen fertiliser, or to put on our manure heaps. Either way it is all useful stuff, enables us to close another loop, by dealing with waste on-site and we hope that the new loo looks the part.
It is made from sawmill ‘skins’ – the outer barky bit of the tree that isn’t any use as planks, but which makes a great building material. The tin was removed and the wooden frame re-used, and we’ve strengthened it, adding a new green roof that has been sown with wildflower seeds. It’ll soon soften into the landscape, and we look forward to seeing what grows up there!
For examples of other composting toilets that we’ve built, have a look here