Composting head substrate when abroad

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by davil

under the thread of using abroad,what is the status of using these systems abroad,as indicated on another thread related to disposing of the contents,I remember been discussed some sailing areas restricting their use and disposal on marinas etc.
Are there the same restrictions on areas outside the USA like Europe, Bahamas,or other popular cruising areas?

about the same restrictions as throwing away a soiled disposable baby diaper.
Just that the contents of a composting head are biologically safer .

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Beautiful thanks, bookmarked, looks like an excellent job.

thank you and just an fyi its still a work in progress .

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by davil

under the thread of using abroad,what is the status of using these systems abroad,as indicated on another thread related to disposing of the contents,I remember been discussed some sailing areas restricting their use and disposal on marinas etc.
Are there the same restrictions on areas outside the USA like Europe, Bahamas,or other popular cruising areas?

It’s a good question. I don’t know. I think (more of a belief since I haven’t researched this) that the categories of MSDs (Marine Sanitation Devices) are mostly universal in their definitions. A composter qualifies as being a Type III MSD, so any area that allows Type III heads should also be fine with a composter.

Disposal on land is generally in the grey zone in most places. As newhaul says, it’s the same grey zone that applies to the disposal of soiled diapers or feminine hygiene products. Technically it’s illegal to dump into most municipal waste systems. In reality, it happens a lot, and no one is ever charged (that I’m aware of).

[jen1722terry]

Yeah, ChecksWrecks, a really nice looking design and install. Very well done.

Jenn and Terry

[davil]

Mike,do you know of paper or any biodegradable bags to empty the stuff?
thinking will be then ok to dispose when in open waters?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by davil

Mike,do you know of paper or any biodegradable bags to empty the stuff?
thinking will be then ok to dispose when in open waters?

they make water soluble garbage bags

[davil]

thanks

https://www.google.com/search?q=wate...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by davil

Mike,do you know of paper or any biodegradable bags to empty the stuff?
thinking will be then ok to dispose when in open waters?

I think there are now plastic bags that claim the biodegradable label. My understanding is they simply break down faster when exposed to sunlight. Of course, pure paper bags will degrade fairly rapidly, but I’d probably not store the finished feces bin material in paper alone for a long time. It’s like good potting soil, so is somewhat moist.

I do dispose when in open water (more than 3 miles off shore). I first tip the bin’s contents into a normal garbage bag. If need be, I then set this aside for when I can dump. When I’m offshore, and seas are easy, I simply tip the contents over the side. I hang onto the bag for later use.

Add: You guys already came up with better answers. Didn’t even know about water soluble bags. Sounds good I guess, but I’d rather just use a normal bag.

[gulfislandfred]

Any dry, carbon rich material will do. Dry leaves, even shredded newspaper, if you're dumping where you can cover it with dirt for a while. (OK for organic gardens)



Look at the Sea Head. Good inspiration for a do it yourself unit.


Liquid separation is key to odour control. Most of the time, I just piss in a cut off plastic bottle, and chuck it overboard, or into a small bucket with a good lid. Urine is great for growing plants, diluted 5 to 10 parts water to 1 part urine.

[sailores35]

Have a C-Head. Use pet cage stuff called Aspen Bedding. C-Head also has models that take hull shape into account. Simple, straight forward design by a cruising sailor.

[captlloyd]

Some very good info here. I have suggested before but will still add the idea of creating a urinal like they use in porti-potty’s ( plastic) for stand up use for men. You will need to have enough space in your room to accommodate this.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Some very good info here. I have suggested before but will still add the idea of creating a urinal like they use in porti-potty’s ( plastic) for stand up use for men. You will need to have enough space in your room to accommodate this.

you mean like a transmission funnel and a separate urine collection tank . ( don't forget the ping pong ball)

[Mike OReilly]

Yeah, sitting while peeing is a pita. Just one of the tradeoffs to these heads, unless you rig something different, of course. Not a big deal to me.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by newhaul

you mean like a transmission funnel and a separate urine collection tank . ( don't forget the ping pong ball)

Exactly. I am sure though you could craft something more estheticaly pleasing. And then you could stand there and admire it !

[rsn48]

I haven't used larger biodegradable plastic bags, but I have used a couple of thousand smaller bags for dog pooh. The problem with the early bags - about 8 years ago or more - was, they decomposed too quickly. Even if you had nothing in the bag but left it in a jacket for six months, wearing the jacket until spring and not putting it on until late fall, you would discover thousands of little peaces of plastic instead of the bag, a pain to get rid of but very effective a breaking down. Current doggy bags take around two years to decompose is my understanding.