Disposal of pump out holding tank

[Bluebell and lunar]

Hello boaters. I am planning on removing my pump out toilet and tank to replace with a compost toilet. I'm aware that this is going to be a very unpleasant job and am preparing myself for a few challenges but my main concern is how to dispose the plastic holding tank, once it's removed? 

 

Can you take it to a household recycling centre or is it classed as hazardous due to its previous contents? I rang CRT and they couldn't help, I then spoke to local council and they didn't really understand what a holding tank was! 

 

If anyone has experience in removing a holding tank, any advice would be appreciated. 

[Jerra]

1 minute ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

Hello boaters. I am planning on removing my pump out toilet and tank to replace with a compost toilet. I'm aware that this is going to be a very unpleasant job and am preparing myself for a few challenges but my main concern is how to dispose the plastic holding tank, once it's removed? 

 

Can you take it to a household recycling centre or is it classed as hazardous due to its previous contents? I rang CRT and they couldn't help, I then spoke to local council and they didn't really understand what a holding tank was! 

 

If anyone has experience in removing a holding tank, any advice would be appreciated. 

I have no experience of this.   However as many people find putting waste from a composting toilet into rubbish bins I would have thought well cleaned out it could have gone to "the tip".    I am sure somebody will come along and say not they aren't accepted.

[Bluebell and lunar]

Thanks. I'm agree but I can't guarantee how well cleaned out it will be ?

[Tracy D'arth]

51 minutes ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

Thanks. I'm agree but I can't guarantee how well cleaned out it will be ?

Why? Just wash it out well then disinfect it, its your crap after all.

[Bod]

I don't suppose you want to have this question asked.

"Where do you expect to keep the Loo contents, whilst they compost down, and how do you propose to use the composted material?"

If you haven't thought this over, it might be better to hold on to the pump out system.

 

Bod

[TheBiscuits]

 

Wash it well and sell it to another boater ...

 

In fact stick your loo and tank up for sale together

[Tracy D'arth]

Just now, TheBiscuits said:

 

Wash it well and sell it to another boater ...

 

In fact stick your loo and tank up for sale together

Tell me what size and I may be interested.

[John Hartley]

I emptied mine [plastic/glass fiber] and left it insitu for about 12 months after sealing all the holes/pipework. I removed the toilet bowl and associated pipe and electrical fittings and installed its replacement. After last lock down I took the tank out and took it to my local council tip and disposed of it. No problems, no smell and no mess.

Good Luck

stay safe

[Mike Tee]

38 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Tell me what size and I may be interested.

It's average UK arse size

[ditchcrawler]

56 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Wash it well and sell it to another boater ...

 

In fact stick your loo and tank up for sale together

Got in before me

[Troyboy]

16 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

It's average UK arse size

That will be  extra large then.

[zenataomm]

Good luck with that then. 

I once gave a mate a hand to do the same (40 years ago) the mental scars are still evident.

First he had it pumped out at a yard.

Then we filled it up with water and a cocktail of chemicals that "Bloke in Pub" told him in an all knowing way would definitely dislodge any "ooh nasty" that was lingering.

Returning to the yard we had it pumped out again.

Convinced it must now be clean and empty, we now proceeded to a mate's mooring as he'd offered to buy it for his boat.

 

On arrival the outlet pipe was opened and the buyer suggested we shove a dipstick down it as he wanted to confirm he was indeed buying it empty.  We didn't get that far as the evil stench that visibly emerged from the opened pipe not only  clashed badly with the yellow paintwork, but confirmed something potent still lingered inside.  All three of us suffered physical wounds as well as blunt force trauma as we each battered the other two in an attempt to exit the bog at the same time.

We retired to the pub where medicine was administered to calm our heaving stomachs.

 

"Bloke" was there, so we updated him on the lack of efficacy we had encountered having embraced his suggestion as to which chemicals to shove in it.

He accepted a drink in return for advising we needed to agitate it to slosh the cleaner around inside.

With a knowing look we all said "Ah, that makes sense"  And had another pint each.

 

An hour later we had refilled it with water and emptied in what was left of " Blokes' " chemicals and everything else we found in the cleaning cupboard on board.  Personally I was putting my money on the lavender Radox. 

Now we'd chucked 20 gallons in and shoved a tea towel down the spout it occurred to us that nearly 2cwt of liquid goo wasn't going to be easy to slosh about with gay abandon.

 

It was at this point that one of us pointed out that due to the shape of the tank it wasn't going to exit the boat doors let alone allow itself to be contorted around bulkheads etc without being tipped up on end.  Clearly it would have to be emptied again, properly this time, but sans agitation.

 

Fed up with wasting money on pump outs our friend was determined this was to be the last attempt.  "I wonder if pumping air into it would stir it all up enough?" He pondered.  It was decided to give that a try until it transpired that the only electric pump on board was a bilge pump which was superb at pumping water, but hopeless at pumping air.

Luckily it was at this point that one of us misremembered an experiment at school and became totally confused about the frothy results of mixing the kind of ingredients everybody has in their kitchen.

 

"I'll be back in a minute ...." He confidently departed in the direction of the corner "Spar Shop".

On return he proceeded to empty a 5lb box of Baking Powder down the toilet, closely followed by a gallon of Pickling Vinegar.

"Well, that ought to d ......"  was as far as he got.  I won't go into all of the sordid details of what transpired or how long it took to clean everything off the ceiling and out of the bilges, and the engine or off the fenders.  But suffice it to say we never found the tea towel.

 

Like I said Good Luck!!!!

 

 

 

  

[Tracy D'arth]

Piece of cake,  Wet suit and pressure washer.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

Piece of cake,  Wet suit and pressure washer.

Ah - sounds like a trip to the middle aisle at Aldi then, add the wheelbarrow and you are sorted.

[Victor Vectis]

1 hour ago, Mike Tee said:

It's average UK arse size

Is there a British standard for arses?

 

BS 3704 has always fascinated me.

I wonder how they did the research for sizes?

 

[Bluebell and lunar]

13 hours ago, Bod said:

I don't suppose you want to have this question asked.

"Where do you expect to keep the Loo contents, whilst they compost down, and how do you propose to use the composted material?"

If you haven't thought this over, it might be better to hold on to the pump out system.

 

Bod

My local park has dog compost bins. They are basically, strategically placed wheelie bins dug into the ground for there poop. I'll take my bag a business there. They will then use it for soil in the park.

[Bluebell and lunar]

13 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Tell me what size and I may be interested.

I'm not sure exactly. Takes 2 people 2 weeks to fill when on boat most of time (furloughed) when at work 3-4 weeks. 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

My local park has dog compost bins. They are basically, strategically placed wheelie bins dug into the ground for there poop. I'll take my bag a business there. They will then use it for soil in the park.

 

You must be a permanent moorer then - that makes life a bit easier for you.

When you cruise, it becomes a case of having to keep buckets of the 'stuff' under your bed for 6 months until it dries out.

[IanD]

13 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Ah - sounds like a trip to the middle aisle at Aldi then, add the wheelbarrow and you are sorted.

 

[haggis]

2 hours ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

My local park has dog compost bins. They are basically, strategically placed wheelie bins dug into the ground for there poop. I'll take my bag a business there. They will then use it for soil in the park.

That's interesting! Is the dog poo put in the compost bins in poo bags or loose? I can't see poo bags composting down before the bin gets full . I know of  dog owners who have buried bins in their gardens and the poo is lifted on a shovel and put in. Even with just two or three dogs, I understand the bins fill up quite quickly. Interested to hear about a local authority using this method. 

 

haggis

[Hudds Lad]

42 minutes ago, haggis said:

That's interesting! Is the dog poo put in the compost bins in poo bags or loose? I can't see poo bags composting down before the bin gets full . I know of  dog owners who have buried bins in their gardens and the poo is lifted on a shovel and put in. Even with just two or three dogs, I understand the bins fill up quite quickly. Interested to hear about a local authority using this method. 

 

haggis

my mum got one of those in the 80's for our two dogs, basically required a four foot square hole digging, stones lining the bottom and sides, then it was a sort of bucket in the bottom with a second mesh bucket on top. Idea being an amount of water and "solvent" went in the bottom bucket, you slid in the dog eggs and let the chemicals break it down, then you tipped in a bucket of water that made the mush rise and filter through the mesh and stones. Add more chemicals and repeat.

Sounded good in principle, didn't work in practice. We had to abandon its use for fear of contravening UN Resolution 1540. Think it would have been fine if you had one small dog that only took a squat once a week, it did not cope with an Airedale and a Ridgeback/Boxer cross to say the least.

It's still there somewhere under a redcurrant bush, nice surprise for someone if we ever sell the house  

[haggis]

14 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

my mum got one of those in the 80's for our two dogs, basically required a four foot square hole digging, stones lining the bottom and sides, then it was a sort of bucket in the bottom with a second mesh bucket on top. Idea being an amount of water and "solvent" went in the bottom bucket, you slid in the dog eggs and let the chemicals break it down, then you tipped in a bucket of water that made the mush rise and filter through the mesh and stones. Add more chemicals and repeat.

Sounded good in principle, didn't work in practice. We had to abandon its use for fear of contravening UN Resolution 1540. Think it would have been fine if you had one small dog that only took a squat once a week, it did not cope with an Airedale and a Ridgeback/Boxer cross to say the least.

It's still there somewhere under a redcurrant bush, nice surprise for someone if we ever sell the house  

I had heard they weren't a great  success which is why I am interested in a Local Authority using them and how they work. Dog poo bins always seem to smell, despite the poo being bagged  and adding human waste to the mix  will possibly make them smell more, especially in the summer ? . Nice addition to a public park! 

 

haggis

[Bluebell and lunar]

2 hours ago, haggis said:

That's interesting! Is the dog poo put in the compost bins in poo bags or loose? I can't see poo bags composting down before the bin gets full . I know of  dog owners who have buried bins in their gardens and the poo is lifted on a shovel and put in. Even with just two or three dogs, I understand the bins fill up quite quickly. Interested to hear about a local authority using this method. 

 

haggis

It's not a local authority, its a private park, they have pop bag dispensers dotted  around the park for walkers to use and then dispose of in the compost bins.

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

Hello boaters. I am planning on removing my pump out toilet and tank to replace with a compost toilet. I'm aware that this is going to be a very unpleasant job and am preparing myself for a few challenges but my main concern is how to dispose the plastic holding tank, once it's removed? 

 

Can you take it to a household recycling centre or is it classed as hazardous due to its previous contents? I rang CRT and they couldn't help, I then spoke to local council and they didn't really understand what a holding tank was! 

 

If anyone has experience in removing a holding tank, any advice would be appreciated. 

 

I can't see why a LA tip recycling centre won't take one as long as it is reasonably clean.

 

The only proviso I would add is that ours has started a book in system since re-opening after a 'covid' update and you now have to bring ID and proof of address when you turn up (To confirm you live in the correct council tax area).

 

If you are a live aboard and not in an area you use for an address this could be an issue.

 

Worth checking on the LA web site before you rock up with your tank.

 

PS - We had one removed but we paid somebody to do it so it's disposal became their problem. They also had to cut it in half to get it out the boat.     Yuk..

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by The Happy Nomad

[Tracy D'arth]

5 hours ago, Bluebell and lunar said:

I'm not sure exactly. Takes 2 people 2 weeks to fill when on boat most of time (furloughed) when at work 3-4 weeks. 

Its not the volume or usable time I am interested in but the physical dimensions.  H x W x D