Every year the average person produces 35 kilos of faeces & 500 litres of urine. Using conventional toilets it then takes 15,000 litres of clean water just to flush this away. Can this really make sense in such a water stressed environment?
The Composting Toilets at CERES
At CERES our wastewater recycling system begins with composting toilets where urine and faeces are separated. Urine, along with wastewater from the hand basins and showers, is sent to the reed bed where it is treated and reused for irrigation.
Above: How waste water is treated and reused to water the CERES Village Green
Above: The composting worm farms beneath our composting toilets.
Thousands of worms and microorganisms live in the composting chamber. They digest faeces, toilet paper and toilet rolls, rapidly reducing waste volume and removing potentially dangerous bacteria (pathogens).
It takes about a month for faeces to be turned into compost soil (or vermicast), which is an excellent high nutrient fertiliser. The compost produced is between 1% and 5% of the volume of the original waste material.
The composting toilets at CERES are an important part of our water conservation systems. By treating sewage onsite, these toilets help to save up to 2,000,000 litres of water per year (This is the amount used by 8 households in one year). They also provide around 200 Kilos of rich compost for our gardens.
Waterless urinals and toilet pedestals supplied by Environment Equipment. Toilet are designed, constructed and maintained by the CERES Green Technology Workshop.
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