To Compost Toilet or Not?
Let me be clear with one thing, I have yet to get my camper and have never used a compost toilet, ever. So why am I writing about this? Well, I can’t think of anything worse than dealing with sewage while trying to enjoy a trip.
When I was looking at the Escape trailer and going through the customization process, they had a composting toilet option. I hadn’t really thought about the toilet until that very moment. I didn’t want to deal with the black tank and all that goes with it.
What makes sewage? Sewage is when the solid and liquid mix and the bacteria get to run rampant, this is what creates the smell we all have grown to hate; think of all those times we had to use a porta-potty. RVs try to cover the smell with chemicals which aren’t much better, and no matter what, that chemical smell is always there, the porta-potty smell.
So what is a compost toilet, well, it’s a toilet that separates the solids from the liquids. The solids go into their own holding space where some form of compost like peat or coco coir is used to help break down the solids. The liquid is diverted into its own tank and when it’s full you bring it some place to dump, like a bathroom or if you’re out in the wild just pore it outside (NEVER DO THIS WITH THE SOLIDS). When the solid bin is filled, you dump it into a bag; hopefully biodegradable, then you can put it in the trash, just like poop bags from your dogs. DO NOT THROW THIS IN A COMPOST BIN, why? it takes around a year for the bacteria to break down.
This post is about what I’ve discovered in researching alternatives to the traditional RV toilet and there are some good options out there. This is not an in-depth review of the toilets.
Most will require taking the old toilet out and installing the new one, so being handy will help or you may be able to find someone who can do RV repairs to help. I’ve referenced RV toilets, but any of these alternatives to flush toilets could work in a tiny home or cabin where you don’t have access to water.
The Options
There are basically two alternatives to the RV toilet (black or cassette tanks). Don’t be confused by the names, none of these use water. Most require electricity and venting. I’m also not going to cover camping toilets. Those typically are a 5 gallon bucket you put a bag in and use to do your business in.
Dry-Flush Toilet
I’m going to start with the dry flush toilet as it’s a newer option and as of now I can find only one brand.
Laveo Dry-Flush Toilet
Remember Jiffy Pop? This reminds me of that. The foil cartridge is placed inside the bowl and will be sucked in creating the cavity you do your business in, both solids and liquids. When you’re done, you press the flush button. The waste gets pulled in and twisted off, then a new foil cavity is created.
This does require power. You can either hook it into your power source or it has a battery that can be charged making it pretty flexible as to where you can place it.
Each cartridge holds about 15 flushes and from what I have found, each flush would cost around $1.50.
The manufacturer says it’s virtually odorless, but I’ve come across videos where they said there is an odor. Unlike the separator toilets, this still mixes your solids and liquids together which creates sewage. Once the cartridge is done, you will pull out the holding bin, take the black rim off, and recycle it, then enclose everything in the plastic trash bag, and discard it in the trash.
Accept for the convenience of not having to hook up to water, this to me still has the issue of mixing your waste together. With that said, I think there will be uses for this. One thing I have noticed, waterless toilets can run upwards of $1,000 or more and this one falls within that bracket, also the refills are $68 per 3 packs.
Composting or Separating Toilets
Composting toilets separate the waste and liquids. In the solids bin, you’ll put a mixer of peat or COCO COIR and after each use gets mixed together by an stirring device, not unlike a bread mixer. They require electricity and should be vented. I’ve also come across composting adjacent toilets. These toilets don’t require electrical and doesn’t have mixing capability.
In van conversions there is limited room and some people don’t even have a bath installed, relying on public bathrooms, but that doesn’t help if you’re in the wilderness and you have to go; I guess shoveling a hole can always work. The composting adjacent toilets still separate the waste, but in the solid bin, there is no mixing device.
The toilets I looked at were:
Trelino
Boxio
Cuddy
Separett
These are the main ones on the market, but wait until next week, there may be more.
This is probably the more well-known especially if you do a Google search for composting toilets. You should be able to tell, that the waste goes is in the back and the liquids go into the front.
There is a small fan to help pull any smell and moisture out of the tank so you’ll need electricity and a way to vent.
A couple of issues I’ve come across is when the solid bin starts to fill up, the crank gets hard to turn; guess that could be a good indicator that you’ll need to clean out. The second is the diverter. Because the liquid side doesn’t have a great separator, it does take positioning yourself forwards and backward depending on what you’re doing. There’s no indicator on the liquid tank so some have had it overflow, so be careful. Some of the newer ones have light indicators and lastly, you have to lift the top section to get the liquid tank out.
It’s also not physically attractive, especially with the liquid tank exposed right in the front.
This is the one that would have been installed in my RV. Oh, everyone has to sit, even gents when doing a pee. See review
The Airhead and Natures Head are pretty similar, but people who have reviewed the two always lean towards the Airhead for several key facets. It’s a bit smaller so can fit into smaller spaces. The liquid jug can be taken out without lifting the top section. The seat resembles a home seat and it has handles on the side so it makes it easier to take out when you need to dump the solids and it’s less clunky to handle.
I have to say, this is probably on the top of my list. It’ modern looking and with a touch of a button, it will automatically mix your solids. It also has a built in light that will glow red with then liquids container is 90% full, how great it that.
I guess being fully automatic, that could be a drawback too. How long will the electronic parts hold up? It does have an electrical parts kit for sale, so that’s good for replacing broken elements.
Some compost toilets have the ability to connect the liquid diverter into the black tank since peeing is something we do more than pooping, but then again you’re dealing with the black tank and dump stations.
I’ll share a video of one of my favorite YouTubers who installed this in two of her RVs a few years back. What’s good about this is you can see what she had to do to get it installed. See review.
I came across this company while doing my search. They are from Germany so you know the design will be cleaver and have recently been selling in the US.
This would be considered a composting adjacent toilet and doesn’t require water or venting. It was developed by two avid campers to be able to have the flexibility of getting out in nature, but having the comfort to do your business from your van. From what I can see you don’t bolt it to your van for flexibility, but do suggest making sure it doesn’t move while you drive.
Unlike the models above, this doesn’t have a mechanism to mix the solids with composing material. It’s basically a trash can lined with a bag that your solids go into. They do recommend putting peat or COCO COIR in the container and add more as you poop. This is what helps keep the smell down. Some models do have the capability to add a fan to help with venting odors.
What’s also nice, it they have several different styles and sizes so you can find one that is perfect for you.
I will admit, I don’t know a lot about this toilet; I didn’t come obsessed with it like the previous couple options. I’ve added it because It looks like a well-made products and the cost is much less than the previous products.
This toilet works like the Trelino and it’s also made in Germany. It looks like a milk crate which, to me is a drawback, then I’m more of a glamper than a hard-core camper. It’s made of recycled material so that’s a benefit.
This company also makes a portable camping sink so this could be a good option if you have a camper that doesn’t have some of the amenities as other built out campers.
Like I said, there are lots of toilets on the market and Cuddy is another composting toilet. You noticed I didn’t say composting adjacent, yup, this one has tongs to mix the compost. Couple nice features is, it it doesn’t have an indicator light for the pee jug and it’s run off a battery. Instead of venting outside, this one uses a charcoal filter and a small fan to pull the air from inside out.
For me, this could be a good contender because of the manual turn mixer. I’ll share this video of an Vanner who has used this.
Cuddy is coming out with a “light” version called Cuddy Light. The difference is it doesn’t have an agitator in the poop bucket. So like Trelino and Boxio, you use a bag to line the poop bucket; don’t forget to put in compost material and do your business then dispose like you would a diaper or doggy poop bags.
Here’s the link to their Youtube channel.
Separett calls itself a “waterless toilet”. Though all of the ones above are waterless, they don’t talk about putting composting material into the poop bucket, but you could for sure. I would say, Trelino, Boxio and Separett are very similar. They use a bag in the poop bucket.
They have two version. One with the pee jug and one to run a hose into the black tank. They have absorb pads you would put in the bag when new to help absorb the moisture from the poop. Personally, I would stick with putting compost material in the poop bucket to absorb moisture and smell.
Unlike the Cuddy above where the compost gets all over the place because there is no cover on the poop bucket, this has a cover with the integrated fins that slide open when you sit down.
This product is made in Sweden.
When it comes to toilets, everyone will have their own needs so definitely do your research. I hope this will get you started. I’m still on the fence myself, I suspect when I get the RV, I’ll make the decision then.