Let's talk about poop...

Here's my big news of the month: I am building a composting latrine. I knew the water level was relatively high in my site and around my house when I moved in, but I didn't know quite how high. Also, we have had significant rain in the past month. Technically, the idea of a normal latrine is that the "solids" stay in the hole, and the "liquids" filter out through the sand and dirt. However, my latrine is currently filled with watery poop mixture up until about 1 foot beneath the cement floor. To give you some reference to what I'm speaking of, Cape Cod is notorious for its high water table and hence easily contaminated aquifer. The water table at the Bourne House ranges from 3-4ft. on average. My water table is comparable to Scraggy Neck or Wings Neck, one of those little peninsulas jutting out into the bay. I will spare you the really gory details, but can you say...backsplash?

The new plan, currently under construction, is a composting latrine. Instead of digging a hole into the ground, it is constructed by building 2 brick deposits above the ground. You defecate (no urine) into one of the deposits for 6 months, or until it is relatively full, adding a small amount of dry organic material like sawdust or leaves every time you use it. Then you leave it securely topped and use the other deposit for the next 6 months. By the time that side is full, the previously used deposit will have composted and can be removed from the brick box by a small door in the side. After being spread out in the sun for a few days to kill any potentially remaining bugs or viruses, the remaining material can be used as very rich compost for trees or flowers.

I know it sounds gross, but doesn't it sound a lot better than contaminating your acquifer or trying to use a soupy "toilet"? It sure does to me! Maybe if it goes well, other people in my community will be interested in building similar ones as well. Right now, the people who do have latrines dig them very shallowly and then move them often when they fill up. However, they are not very sanitary because they lack a top for the hole, and hence can attract a lot of insects that can spread disease. Also, they don't smell so pretty. Other people have modern bathrooms, with a rudimentary septic tank called a "poso ciego". However, this can contaminate the acquifer as well because the waste just sits in the cement well and can leach out as well.

Maybe this isn't the blog post you wanted to read today. But think of how many times you use a bathrom in just 1 day. Where does your waste go? In the States, most of us are fortunately enough to know that wherever we use the restroom, our waste is securely flushed and transported to a place where it is treated. Yes, we have responsibility to get our septic tanks pumped and protect our acquifers from other sources of contamination. But we also have the infrastructure to be able to get clean water every time we open the tap and to be able to hook up septic systems to our houses.

I am just getting a little bit more of an intimate view of what to do with waste, a question that involves all of us, no matter what kind of bathroom you are using.

...and here are some pictures. Pictures not uploading but I will try again later.