Composting Toilets. Clarification Please

[Jim Riley]

However, if we are to eat less meat there will be less fertiliser to grow the veg, so composting our own makes sense. 

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

However, if we are to eat less meat there will be less fertiliser to grow the veg, so composting our own makes sense. 

No - we will still eat 'meat' & Sausages & Bacon, we will just pay more for the privilege, which will mean we just have less money to buy fruit and vegetables.

[peterboat]

4 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

However, if we are to eat less meat there will be less fertiliser to grow the veg, so composting our own makes sense. 

I have just dug in last years production into my small garden, this years production will be ready for the end of next year? I have a composting bin for the job and all the other crap goes in  there along with the poo worms and nature does its stuff, I really cant see what the problem is to be honest

[Tumshie]

I can't talk for all parts of the country but in some parts the red dog poo bins are emptied and the contents taken straight to the local land fill. A friend of mine who works for the county council told me this so its not random stuff of tinternet. And it's just information not an argument. 

[Chewbacka]

52 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

I can't talk for all parts of the country but in some parts the red dog poo bins are emptied and the contents taken straight to the local land fill. A friend of mine who works for the county council told me this so its not random stuff of tinternet. And it's just information not an argument. 

I would never buy a house close to and at a lower level than a landfill site.  God knows what leaches out into the ground water.  

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, Chewbacka said:

I would never buy a house close to and at a lower level than a landfill site.  God knows what leaches out into the ground water.  

But your water supply is from a reservoir, its tested before it goes in to the supply. The whole idea about separation of hazardous waste is to send it to some sort of treatment/containment site.

Besides landfill sites are generally on farm wasteland and not near streams, you would not be drinking water leaching from landfill sites.

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, Tumshie said:

I can't talk for all parts of the country but in some parts the red dog poo bins are emptied and the contents taken straight to the local land fill. A friend of mine who works for the county council told me this so its not random stuff of tinternet. And it's just information not an argument. 

Yes you are correct, it always has been so as it is collected by the landfill bin, it is in thick black bags which would not be compostable/biodegradable, it might as well be put in the ordinary litter bins, except the litter bin are a bit lighter in weight.

2 hours ago, peterboat said:

I have just dug in last years production into my small garden, this years production will be ready for the end of next year? I have a composting bin for the job and all the other crap goes in  there along with the poo worms and nature does its stuff, I really cant see what the problem is to be honest

The problem is that you are the exception. no doubt you are happy to work this way, but you don't monitor it or test it, and I hope you don't use on lettuce its probably OK.

Composted material will end up as a brown crumb

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[Chewbacka]

14 minutes ago, LadyG said:

But your water supply is from a reservoir, its tested before it goes in to the supply. The whole idea about hazard waste is to send it to some sort of treatment/containment site.

Besides landfill sites are generally on farm wasteland and not near streams, you would not be drinking water leaching from landfill sites.

I wasn’t thinking drinking water more like stuff you grow in the garden and eat.  As to special treatment before discharge or burial in a landfill site, I don’t trust people.  Example - I am sure people still dispose of things like smoke alarms (radioactive materials) cans of gloss paint, cleaning solvents etc into domestic bins.  

Same as I would not live downwind of an incinerator, just not worth the risk.

 

added - old sites will also contain lots of chemicals now banned leaching from old preserved wood (arsenic etc) not to mention mercury etc

Edited November 9, 2018 by Chewbacka

[MtB]

2 hours ago, peterboat said:

I have just dug in last years production into my small garden, this years production will be ready for the end of next year? I have a composting bin for the job and all the other crap goes in  there along with the poo worms and nature does its stuff, I really cant see what the problem is to be honest

 

Nor can I.

 

If every boater dug their compost into their small garden like you do, composting bogs would be great. But for some reason, not everyone does. 

[LadyG]

19 minutes ago, Chewbacka said:

I wasn’t thinking drinking water more like stuff you grow in the garden and eat.  As to special treatment before discharge or burial in a landfill site, I don’t trust people.  Example - I am sure people still dispose of things like smoke alarms (radioactive materials) cans of gloss paint, cleaning solvents etc into domestic bins.  

Same as I would not live downwind of an incinerator, just not worth the risk.

 

I know a farmer whose farm was near an incinerator and the cows were  all sick,  but he was unable to prove that they had been affected, and he did try, it put him out of business.

Your topsoil which you grow your lettuces in is not in the least likely to be affected by groundwater contamination, the soil water will be from rainfall.

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[LadyG]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Nor can I.

 

If every boater dug their compost into their small garden like you do, composting bogs would be great. But for some reason, not everyone does. 

Reason 1} they don't have a garden 

Reason 2] they can't be bothered building a composting system

Reason 3] they consider their system is "composting", after all they bought a composting toilet.

Reason 4] they follow the CRT advice to put it in a nappy sack and stick it in a bin, so it must be OK

 

[Tumshie]

11 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes you are correct, it always has been so as it is collected by the landfill bin, it is in thick black bags which would not be compostable/biodegradable, it might as well be put in the ordinary litter bins, except the litter bin are a bit lighter in weight.

Locally to me they aren't given specific bags for the dog poo bins it's the same non compostable refuge bag that go in the park and street bins there is no special provision for it to compost, its treated like any other land fill waste. When the guys empty the bins at the local parks they empty the dog poo bins at the same time and in the same way.

[Jerra]

5 minutes ago, LadyG said:

your topsoil which you grow your lettuces in is not in the least likely to be affected by groundwater contamination, the soil water will be from rainfall.

I suspect a lot will depend on the depth of the water table below the garden.  Being near a stream ours is about 20 inches down.   Even shallow rooted vegetable crops have roots going down to 12 - 18 ".  In periods of drought capillary action draws water up for quite a long way.

[Chewbacka]

20 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I know a farmer whose farm was near an incinerator and the cows were all sick,  but he was unable to prove that they had been affected, and he did try, it put him out of business.

your topsoil which you grow your lettuces in is not in the least likely to be affected by groundwater contamination, the soil water will be from rainfall.

If the water table is close to the surface Apple trees etc will be getting water from the ground, i understand the arguments you make, and possibly they are correct and safe, BUT I would not let me kids eat apples from those trees from birth till they leave home say 20 years later.  

Same as when I was a kid it was believed the sea had unlimited capacity for absorbing toxic waste and that plastic in the sea was inert and harmless even if a bit ugly.  We now know this to be untrue.

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Reason 1} they don't have a garden 

 

You're kidding?! I thought all boaters with a composting bog would have to have a garden....

 

 

 

[Jerra]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

You're kidding?! I thought all boaters with a composting bog would have to have a garden....

It's obvious isn't it?  They wouldn't have chosen a composting bog if they hadn't, would they?       

[LadyG]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

You're kidding?! I thought all boaters with a composting bog would have to have a garden....

 

 

 

Why would you think that?

Oh, fell for it, it was a joke remark, sry..............?

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[MtB]

1 minute ago, LadyG said:

Why would you think that?

 

So they would have somewhere to spread the compost as peterboat explained, obvs. 

 

 

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Why would you think that?

Oh, fell for it, it was a joke remark, sry..............?

or

[Tumshie]

22 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Reason 2] they can't be bothered building a composting system

This would be the point that needs cracking - bagging it up and binning it defeats the purpose of composting so there needs to be a way for boaters to have a neat and tidy way to compost while the are on the move. Because it's all very well it working for some one who has a home mooring with a compost bin where they can empty their toilet and let it do its funky thing but that is not where the problem is. So either CRT need to invest in a huge amount of compost bins that people are bound to put non compostables in or boaters need to have some thing on their boat where they can store each three week batch of poo for three to four months which also allows it to compost properly. 

 

ETA - Worm farms maybe?

 

Ps did you know that most tea bags are not compostable, most have a paper coated plastic mesh rather than being just paper. The resemble heavy spiders web if you find them in your compost after a year. 

Edited November 9, 2018 by Tumshie

[LadyG]

Best to buy organic teabags with paper bags things, and tell people off for throwing the standard Tetley Teabag in to the cut/river/ocean, chances are they won't know either.

Edited November 9, 2018 by LadyG

[Tumshie]

Just now, LadyG said:

Best to buy organic teabags with paper bags things, and tell people off for throwing the standard Tetley in to the cut/river/ocean.

 yes

 

or buy loose leaf and if you really must have a bag buy a reusable cotton one. 

[Jerra]

3 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Best to buy organic teabags with paper bags things, 

Lose tea is even better environmentally.

 

EDIT:   Beaten by a short head.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Jerra

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

So either CRT need to invest in a huge amount of compost bins that people are bound to put non compostables in or boaters need to have some thing on their boat where they can store each three week batch of poo for three to four months which also allows it to compost properly. 

 

Store it in the b̶o̶t̶t̶y̶ butty!

[Tumshie]

3 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Store it in the b̶o̶t̶t̶y̶ butty!

Store you on a butty.