Pros and Cons of a Composting Loo

There are a great many positives to having an Earth saving composting loo, but that does mean there are a few negatives as well. We’ll list here the pros of purchasing one of our composting toilets and the cons you may run into during the process.

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Pros

  • Composting toilets have virtually no environmental impact - they assist in reducing your dependence on sewage plants that use chemicals to treat raw sewage. 

  • Composting waste will create a rich fertiliser that returns nutrients to the soil and close the loop that is currently being substituted with other fertilisers. 

  • The average household will save between 8,000 and 13,000 gallons of water a year just by not flushing the toilet which saves on your water bill and won’t contribute to water pollution 

  • Composting toilets do need power, but, they can be connected to a small solar battery to run independently from your home

  • The installation cost of a composting toilet is far less than installing a traditional toilet and connecting it to the sewer system or a septic system.

  • Very little ongoing costs - enzyme cleaner and bulking agent, that’s it!

  • When maintained correctly, a composting toilet will have virtually no smell - even much less than a regular toilet

  • We have created a range of modern porcelain pedestals that will suit 

  • Many of our designs are accommodating for small spaces - split systems especially use up “dead space” under your home so everything is neatly tucked away

Cons

  • Because waste isn’t flushed away, some manual handling of composted waste (it ends up being similar to topsoil) is required

  • Composting toilets require a small amount of power to run exhaust fans whereas traditional flush toilets use no power

  • Composting toilets are more expensive than traditional toilets in their initial cost however this doesn’t take into account the cost of getting grid-based power or town water connected to a remote site (which will often be much more than the cost of the composting toilet)

  • Part of the toilet maintenance will include some level of handling the compost - very simple but you’ll have to get over your “poophobia”

  • If your composting toilet isn’t maintained properly it can get pretty smelly

  • We are limited to our small range of pedestals, so if you’re after a very specific look (like an all black bathroom) you may have to compromise

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