I’ve composted human waste (humanure!) quite successfully before with homemade composting toilets… more on that is in here.

But for now, this tour of four outhouses is quite entertaining. (My kids have asked to see it over… and over… and over.)

We may have to start thinking about reusing our “waste” in the near future. We’re currently urinating and defecating into clean drinking water… a stupid use for a highly valuable resource. And our excrement is a darned good fertilizer if used appropriately.

This homemade composting toilet saved thousands of gallons of water

Supply lines, water treatment and infrastructure are unlikely to continue in their current state for much longer… think about alternatives to the common commode before you’re forced to.

More food for thought: I have read (and own) this book and found it very impressive – worth buying. That’s where the design for the homemade composting toilet pictured above came from.

Anyone out there using an alternative system? Or seen a good model for re-use of human “waste?”

Composting toilets come in all types from sawdust bucket models to odor-free dehydrating solar panel powered luxury rigs (which are still a lot cheaper than a septic tank!) It may take a crisis before homemade composting toilets go mainstream… but I hope not.

UPDATE: My new book Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting has a chapter on human waste composting – plus lots and lots more. Get a copy!