🚽 Compost toilet building

When should you do this?

Can be started any time, but it's best to time the compost bin's yearly emptying for autumn, before winter sets in

What will you need?

• Wood boards or panels for the seat/box
• An enamel or stainless steel bucket (around 12 liters; no larger than 15-18 liters)
• A standard toilet seat built into the box
• Litter material: sawdust, wood shavings, chopped garden waste, or shredded corrugated cardboard
• A small basket or container to hold the litter, right next to the seat
• Screws, a hinge, a saw, a screwdriver/drill

How to get started?

1. Build a simple, seat-height wooden box or frame with a standard toilet seat mounted on top, with room underneath for a 12-liter bucket.
2. Make the top or front of the box easy to open, so the full bucket can be swapped for a clean, empty one.
3. Place a small basket or container next to the seat, filled with litter material (sawdust, wood shavings, or chopped garden waste).
4. After each bucket swap, sprinkle a few centimeters of litter into the bottom of the empty bucket before it's used.
5. After each use, sprinkle on a handful of litter and moisten it with a little water, so the litter holds down the odor.
6. Before the bucket fills up (at most 12-15 liters), swap it for a clean one — empty the full bucket into a dedicated compost bin.
7. Immediately cover the emptied material with garden waste (grass clippings, leaf litter, pulled weeds), then rinse and disinfect the bucket (soapy or clay-water works well).
8. Once a year, before winter sets in, empty the whole compost bin into a heap and cover it with a layer of straw about 20 cm thick — the following year, the finished compost can be used in the vegetable garden.

Useful tips

• Start with a temporary setup (a tall plastic bucket plus a container of litter) for a few weeks before building or buying a permanent one — it lets the whole family try it out before a bigger investment.
• The right amount of moistened litter is the key to avoiding odors — dry litter lets smells through easily.
• Don't let the bucket get too full: a 12-liter bucket is much easier to empty than an 18-20 liter one.
• Only use compost from human waste once it's fully matured (at least a full year) in the garden.