On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Ken Cohen

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Ken Cohen

Ken, are you taking the ****?

(chortle)

X.

On Sun, 5 Oct 2003 14:00:54 +0100, "Xebug"
wrote:

"ken cohen" wrote in message
. com...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

The protection of night soil miners act of 1857?


Ken Cohen

Ken, are you taking the ****?

(chortle)

or just splashing his boots, whilst ****ing into the wind

s******
--
Martin

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Check out the Centre for Alternative Technology at
http://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl

They have done a lot of research into this idea and now publish a book about
it called "Lifting the Lid"

--
Howard Neil

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties.

When we camp with no facilities we dig a long drop - essentially a dry
toilet. If solid matter is deposited it's covered with a small amount of the
soil which was dug out to make the hole. Liquid waste isn't covered.

We used to do this regularly and frequently in the garden of a primitive
dwelling on the NY Moors. The garden was, sadly, uncultivated, it was
obviously extremely fertile.

But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.

There are always new thought on any matter. Keeping them separate would be
difficult, I'd have thought. At the very least it would take some unnatural
organisation.

But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell?

We use a man-made liquid activator in the compost bin at home and there's no
smell and we've had no contamination problems - I only use the compost on
our organically grown vegetables.

For many years this same liquid was sprayed on the ground round the rhubarb.
Nowadays it's sometimes directed towards the area round the gooseberries and
redcurrant bushes. They grow very well and there's no smell.

I'll add that our hens (two) fertilise the garden indiscriminately. There
are those who say that their deposits are far too 'strong' for direct
application to the soil but it was when we noticed that the fertility of the
garden had risen so dramatically after their efforts that we started to grow
more vegetables.

We eat very well.

Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Probably - there always are. But I shan't tell if you don't.

Check out the Centre for Alternative Technology at
http://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl

They have done a lot of research into this idea and now publish a book
about
it called "Lifting the Lid"

And they have their own processes which they use in their growing areas.

It's impressive. Do visit CAT if you can, you'll get information on a huge
variety of subjects, not just this one.

Mary


--
Howard Neil

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus.

I don't know if it is bacteria-free at the moment you emit it, but it won't
be in that state for more than a minute or two.

You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8)

I use 1:10

before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately?

Yes.

Anyone tried it?

Yes.

Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell?

While you are collecting and storing it, keep tyhe lid tightly on the
container. It acquires a very strong characteristic smell in a matter of a
few days. {:-((
The smell disappears within a few minutes after it is diluted and watered
into the soil.

Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Don't know and don't care. It is unlikely that I will be caught in action.

Just remember that it is a very unbalanced feretiliser. Mostly nitrogen a
little phosphorus, very little ppotassium.
Its best use is probably as an accelerator in the compost heap.

Franz

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:168924




I don't know if it is bacteria-free at the moment you emit it, but it
won't
be in that state for more than a minute or two.

Nothing is.

Mary

On 5 Oct 2003 04:55:15 -0700, ken cohen wrote:

On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

I've used urine off and on for years. Even when it's gone rotten
and stinky, if you dilute it (1:2 is enough), there's no odor --
as long as you don't keep putting it all on the same spot. Dilute
it more highly and sprinkle from a watering can over your entire
allotment; no one will ever know what's coming out of the rose if
you are discreet!

Urine is a wonderful compost activator and can be used full
strength for that purpose, but for feeding growing plants,
dilution around 1:4 or 1:5 is what I've seen recommended. For
some mysterious reason, some plants respond very well to dilute
urine when they don't respond to other fertilizers. Inexplicable.


As for feces, there are a few gardeners here who put feces in
their compost piles. The word of caution is that if you grow
vegetables and do this, the crop should be served only to the
family members who contributed to its fertilization. Personally,
I think using fecal material in the garden is taking an
unnecessary risk for very little benefit. One only has to read
Dickens to be reminded of the high incidence of disease before
efficient waste disposal systems were built.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Ken Cohen

Urine is the best compost activator known
Also if you go back in time .....the gents in pubs was the veg plot out the
back and apparently the celery grew fantastically !!!!!!!

"bnd777" wrote in message
...


Urine is the best compost activator known
Also if you go back in time .....the gents in pubs was the veg plot out
the
back and apparently the celery grew fantastically !!!!!!!

LOL.. could that be a reason I don't like it?)

Ophelia

My grandmother won prizes for her tomatoes which were watered with urine
from her 'potty' (pre-war) but do not know how much the dilution was,
probably just topped up the potty with water! Would not use solids though.
Very particular was granny.

Best wishes,
Jeffery.
This message has been scanned by Norton Antivirus 2003.
"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Ken Cohen

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Ken Cohen

There may be some issues to consider when applying this 'compost activator'
directly in very frosty conditions. ;-)

mark b

There may be some issues to consider when applying this 'compost
activator'
directly in very frosty conditions. ;-)

Good point.

Or in daylight when the neighbours are around.

Mary

mark b

"ken cohen" wrote in message
om...
On our allotment there is no functioning toilet, and my thoughts have
recently turned to the topic of composting human manure. I've been
checking out various things on the internet, and composting human
faeces seems to be fraught with all kinds of difficulties. But some
people are suggesting that it makes a lot of sense to focus more on
keeping urine separate from faeces, and using it as a rich
bacteria-free source of nitrogen, pottasium and phosphorus. You need
to dilute it with water (one suggestion was 1:8) before it is usable.
But is it then usable immediately? Anyone tried it? Isn't there
going to be a serious problem with smell? Are there any legal issues
to be considered?

Ken Cohen

There may be some issues to consider when applying this 'compost activator'
directly in very frosty conditions. ;-)

mark b

There may be some issues to consider when applying this 'compost
activator'
directly in very frosty conditions. ;-)

Good point.

Or in daylight when the neighbours are around.

Mary

mark b