A composting toilet is a kind of toilets that processes human waste by composting, which is a biological treatment. Through it, the organic patterns in human excrement are turned into compost. In a controlled condition, microorganisms, more precisely bacteria and fungi, do the task and get rid of the unpleasant smell. Most composting toilets don’t use water to flush away human waste. Now, the trouble is finding where to empty composting toilets responsibly and legally.
Where to Empty Composting Toilets: In Case of Pee
Public Restrooms
Sometimes when you are on the way, you can stop at a public WC to empty the pee bottle. It’s 100 percent responsible and legal. However, remember to put in in a canvas bag before taking it with you. No one wants to see others’ liquid waste.
Dumping pee into public restroom means you have to use water for flushing, but you have saved a lot of it during the days before using the composting toilet.
RV Dump Stations
If there is an RV Dump Station in the neighborhood you are living or traveling, you can use the facility to get rid of the urine. It’s convenient, and since the stations are built to collect black and gray water from RVs, you are free to do so.
Outside
It sounds upsetting when you have to dump your urine outside, but if you know how to do it without bothering other people, it’s totally fine. Besides, although human liquid waste is not something clean, it isn’t toxic. The chances of getting infectious diseases through urine’s rare. Moreover, because urine includes, beneficial components such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, it may benefit the plants. Still, don’t dump it into others’ gardens. Do the task somewhere distant from housing areas.
Sewage
Emptying the pee bottle into the sewage is not illegal, and you should do so when it is raining to get rid of the lingering smell. Don’t dump your urine into the stormwater drain. The pipes go straight to the rivers or lakes, not to the wastewater processing stations.
Empty Composting Toilets: In case of poop
It’s more important to care about poop than about pee. Apart from the unbearable smell, poop hasn’t actually composted in the composting toilets. Therefore, so you have to be careful not to spread the wicked bacteria like salmonella or E. coli everywhere.
In the wood
Many people recommend burying human excrement in the woods. It’s fine as long as you can dig a hole that is deep and wide enough. You may hear from elsewhere that it is okay to dig a cat hole from 6 to 8 inches deep to dump your shit in. But, it’s for a poop, not a bucket of excreta and sawdust, coco pith, or peat moss.
In the pit toilets
Trailheads and campgrounds often offer pit toilets, where you may consider dumping your human waste into. It’s a fast way, but not recommended. Emptying what’s in the pit toilet need more time, efforts, and money that dealing with your composting one. So, despite all the advantages, you should only make the decision when there isn’t another method.