Flushing toilets is the largest single use of drinking water in households in Ireland. The average Irishman flushes 5 times a day with 30 liters of water. In a rural environment all this waste must be treated and disposed of on site. But there is technology that is capable of treating human waste without using water. Therefore, a septic tank is not required. So, with septic tank inspections and charges on the horizon, it pays to use a composting toilet.
In 2005, the European Court of Justice ruled that Ireland had breached the Waste Framework Directive by “generally and persistently failing to comply with various articles of that Directive”. Septic tank charging and inspections will begin in early 2013. According to the Irish On-Site Wastewater Association (IOWA), there are approximately 400,000 on-site wastewater treatment systems in Ireland and anecdotal evidence suggests that approximately 70 % of them don’t work properly. This means that many septic tanks will need to be upgraded.
This change in legislation gives us the opportunity to change the way we treat human waste in Ireland. Composting toilets or incinerating toilets do not use water, so no septic tank is required. The technology has been tried, tested and certified for residential use. There are no odors and the compost, or ash, is safe to place in the garden.
Composting toilets break down waste in the presence of air, moisture, and microbes to produce safe finished compost. Both solid and liquid waste is collected in the composting toilet. The urine is absorbed by the compost and the excess liquids are evaporated using a gentle heating element. Odors are controlled by the fan that blows air out of the building and a liquid outlet is not required on electric units. By rotating the Bio-Drum, the mixture remains aerated so that bad odors do not develop. It is because of this rotating Bio-Drum that the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF.org) has certified the Sun-Mar Composting Toilet for residential use. There are units for various capacities and units that do not require electrical power.
Incinerating toilets incinerate all toilet waste into sterile ash. Using an incinerating toilet is easy. Put on a disposable paper liner before each use. Both solid and liquid waste are collected in the incineration chamber. After use, simply press the start button and the contents, including toilet paper, are incinerated. The steam is removed by a fan. The ash is removed from the ashtray once a week. Incinerating toilets are most similar to a flush toilet in the way that each user starts with a clean slate every time.
Waterless urinals work by using a biodegradable oil-based liquid trap to prevent odors from coming up the drain. The urine flows through this layer of oil while the oil always remains on top. There are no moving parts or rubber seals in the trap that can fail over time. The other difference between this and a conventional urinal is that the urinal needs to be sprayed every day to ensure that the urine slides off and does not stick to it.
All of the solutions mentioned in this article are available locally in Ireland, so before upgrading your septic tank it may be worth looking at the alternatives.
