composting toilet

In an effort to reduce water consumption, landscape change, environmental destruction, overall cost and loss of visual appeal, we opted for a slightly more complex approach to sewage treatment. A composting toilet. Sure it sounds like a great idea. Crap in this hole, tumble it, add a bit of peat moss, tumble more and voila! Instant compost. Well... not quite!

You see, there are a lot of variables to running a composting toilet properly. First of all, regularity! Yup, you heard it! eat your vegetables! Finding the right compost bulking material is also a bit difficult as it depends on how much water gets used in the toilet. This varies by user! Not all users use the same amount of water. Those who don't usually require those who follow to use more! Why? Well if everything doesn't go all the way down to the central composting unit (providing you are using this type- we are, we use a centrex 2000 NE-power vented) the next user will have to make sure all goes down hill! This can lead to extra water being used. The problem with extra water isn't so much what to do with it, but it boils down to what it does as a by-product. You see, all that water is the perfect incubation area for bugs. ...and not the good ones that digest your poop! Little fruit flies will propagate in overwet compost or if there is a lot of residual water in the bottom of the composter. What to do? First of all, avoid extra water. Then, avoid extra water in the compost by adding extra bulking material or increasing ambient air tempurature. Increase air flow from the power vent by installing a bigger unit. Sloping the unit enough to prevent stagnation of the water in the bottom of the composter. Installing a "floor drain" in the composter (we didn't do this but a friend of mine has modified his this way and says it works well). Ok, so everything you can do has been done and you still have flies. Here are a few things to do.

1. Turn up the heat. Bugs wont like it, plus it dries everything out and increases the speed of composting.
2. Pyrethrines. Don't get any inside the composter as I wouldn't want you to be the first one to have to completely manually empty the composter because everything died! Spray only the outside of the drum.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide! Wow, this not only works, it looks freaky! Pour peroxide in the stagnated water and it will boil. This will kill off the eggs and larvae. You can spray the outside of the drum as well. Don't get any on your close as it will slightly bleach them.
4. Repeat peroxide treatment everyday until every sign of flies is gone.
5. concentrate on drying out the compost and getting rid of the extra water. This is the key to getting rid of, and preventing flies.

Flies in the house? Use beer in a glass with a paper funnel on top leading downwards. the flies will fly down and wont be able to come out! It really works.