Disposing of Solid Waste From a Dessicating Toilet

[alanfw]

For those who have installed a dessicating (composting) toilet, what do you do with your solid waste?
I'm currently looking to install an OGO toilet. At the moment I'm only doing day or long weekend sails, so I could just put the waste in my compost bin at home. But I'm aiming to cruise the Queensland coast which means being away from home for months at a time. Do marinas often have facilities for disposal of such waste?
Ideally I need to make a decision soon as
1. My boat doesn't have a holding tank and direct discharge is not permitted in a large part of the area I'm sailing, and
2. The inlet seacock is seized open and since I'm lifting the boat out soon for antifouling, I want to either replace the seacocks and skin fittings or permanently close them up.

[capt jgw]

It can go in the regular trash, but I would recommend finding a dumpster rather than using a marina or park trash can.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by alanfw

For those who have installed a dessicating (composting) toilet, what do you do with your solid waste?
I'm currently looking to install an OGO toilet. At the moment I'm only doing day or long weekend sails, so I could just put the waste in my compost bin at home. But I'm aiming to cruise the Queensland coast which means being away from home for months at a time. Do marinas often have facilities for disposal of such waste?
Ideally I need to make a decision soon as
1. My boat doesn't have a holding tank and direct discharge is not permitted in a large part of the area I'm sailing, and
2. The inlet seacock is seized open and since I'm lifting the boat out soon for antifouling, I want to either replace the seacocks and skin fittings or permanently close them up.

The problem with the waste you are dealing with is it is dried poo, and depending on when the last "deposit" was made, maybe not so dry either.

It is potentially just as much a biohazard and a pollution problem as if it was still in its original state. Many pathogens will survive in viable form, and it has no significant reduction in BOD.

It should only go in places designed for, and legal to, dispose of the material in its original form. If you use your home compost on food crops, it's not such a good idea there either.

Every marina has a way of disposing of this "stuff." It is called a "toilet."

[ttex]

Put it in a trash bag and toss it in the dumpster.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^^

Untold millions of disposable nappies (diapers) go into land fills every day, via household trash, marina bins, park receptacles and various other routes... and no one seems to care. And that "stuff" isn't even dessicated!

The biohazard associated with a few yottie dessicators seems pretty trivial in comparison.

Jim

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

^^^^^
...

The biohazard associated with a few yottie dessicators seems pretty trivial in comparison.

Jim

Right! Plus, I bet there are much more "dessicated" kitty litter disposed of than from us yotties.

[Chotu]

This one’s going to be brutal. I am remembering dozens of pages of people arguing back-and-forth on this one in the past.

All the advice was good.

[N Coast Murray]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Right! Plus, I bet there are much more "dessicated" kitty litter disposed of than from us yotties.

Then add adult incontinence diapers, which is apparently about equal to baby diapers. Modern landfills are designed with these inputs in mind, but it's pretty high on the old YUCK factor if you start dwelling on it.

In BC (Canada) you can dump mid-channel on an outgoing tide. Our marina is 68 nm from open water (as the crow flies) at the head of a long channel which cuts into the Coast Mountains, and the population density is very low.

What say anybody who poo-poo's putting desiccating head stuff into dumpsters promises right here & now to wash out & clean their adult diapers, once they get older and start filling them?

[alanfw]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

The problem with the waste you are dealing with is it is dried poo, and depending on when the last "deposit" was made, maybe not so dry either.

It is potentially just as much a biohazard and a pollution problem as if it was still in its original state. Many pathogens will survive in viable form, and it has no significant reduction in BOD.

That's an interesting point... For those who DO use a dessicating head, how long does it take to be reasonably dry?

As for the biohazard issue: human waste is no more of a biohazard than wild animal waste EXCEPT that high human population concentrations can lead to higher concentrations of biowaste - to the point where natural ecosystems do not accommodate it. So what is better: direct discharge in a sparsely populated environment where the waste is naturally cycled in the balanced ecosystem, or collecting raw biowaste and depositing it in a receptical where it is transported to locations where it is concentrated into levels far beyond what can be cycled by natural processes?

(I'm all for limitations on discharge, especially in populated locations, but I don't condone the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality that that accompanies the use of modern sewage systems.)

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by N Coast Murray

...
In BC (Canada) you can dump mid-channel on an outgoing tide. Our marina is 68 nm from open water (as the crow flies) at the head of a long channel which cuts into the Coast Mountains, and the population density is very low...

Really?
Do you have an authoritative source for that?

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by alanfw

That's an interesting point... For those who DO use a dessicating head, how long does it take to be reasonably dry?

Drying of a turd is remarkably fast, especially since the media (I use Coco Coir) wicks away moisture. I use a Nature's Head and the churn also accelerates drying, as does the vent fan (not sure the Ogo has one). I cannot explain why, but the smell of a fresh deposit in my NH seems to be less than even my household toilet. As for disposal, I bag the solids and drop in a trash can or dumpster. By the time it's ready to dispose of the solids, it's pretty heavy. I use Costco kitchen tall bags and double-bag.

Compost/Dessicating Heads are not for everyone. But to the "biohazard' hyperbole, pretty sure this is a knee-jerk reaction from folks who experienced extreme trauma when the were potty trained. Ignore them. They are antibodies and cannot help themselves.

[fxykty]

How many people are using, or going to use the OGO? I’m not sure about it’s size but two adults using a Nature’s Head take between 3-4 weeks to require emptying (we dispose of toilet paper separately - if you put that into the NH then you get about half the time). The deposits more than a couple of days old are very dry - think about dog turds laying around when it hasn’t rained.

In open waters we dump over the side. Watching a humpback whale poo puts it into perspective. If we can’t get to open waters we double bag it, store it in a cockpit locker, and stick it in the regular trash when we get somewhere that has bins.

Pee tank requires emptying every 3-4 days, though I (male) mostly pee over the side. My wife pees exclusively in the NH. That tank we’re happy to dump over the side anywhere there’s at least some tidal flow. In NDZs we decant into onshore toilets and have 2 extra bottles. Any old fluid jugs work for storage as well.

Cruising QLD, unless you really like sitting in one place for a long time, will afford you plenty of open water places to get rid of the contents of both chambers.

[alanfw]

Originally Posted by fxykty

... two adults using a Nature’s Head take between 3-4 weeks to require emptying (we dispose of toilet paper separately - if you put that into the NH then you get about half the time). The deposits more than a couple of days old are very dry - think about dog turds laying around when it hasn’t rained....

In open waters we dump over the side....

Thankyou fxkty. That's REALLY helpful information 👍
My choice of the OGO is driven by space (it's the most compact one I've found). There will be 2 of us usually. If we get a week I'll be happy, but reports suggest 2 weeks is likely. The OGO does have a fan.

[jcapo]

Originally Posted by ttex

Put it in a trash bag and toss it in the dumpster.

^^^

Urine down the head sink. I'm always in a tidal flow area.

[s/v Jedi]

There are no trash cans, dumpsters anywhere in the popular cruising grounds, most are uninhabited. Guess what happens with the dried poop…