PREP PART 6: HUMAN WASTE MGMT.

LilRose8

LilRose8

Veteran Member
Ah.....here is an important subject that is rarely discussed.

I have the HUMANURE book and love the concept but where would I get that many wood chips or sawdust? Peat moss may be hard to come by post TSHTF.

Anyone have any great ideas out there? We'll need bug out plus bug in ideas.
 
Mrs Smith

Mrs Smith

Inactive
As long as we can stay put we'll be fine with this topic.
With the constant water supply (see previous topic on WATER), we can continue to use the commode, that utilizes a septic system/leachfield.

Should we have to leave, we'd dig a hole and and bury the bags of waste.
 
LilRose8

LilRose8

Veteran Member
I have a 4 person hot tub that is full, so I could use that for flushing, but after that is gone....well.......hole in the back yard and lime I guess..note to self, get some lime.
 
Dio

Dio

Inactive
We have a composting outhouse, and I must say it works really good...no smell....good fertilizer ( after 8-10 months )
we get sawdust at the local sawmill....no charge!
Do your business, cover generously with sawdust, and burn the T.P. seperatly.
I would heavily mulch my yard, and in an emergency, I would use that mixed with dirt or some sand.
Burning is alwat an option, but this leaves a dark oily cloud, and the SMELL!
 
Charlie

Charlie

Membership Revoked
At our hunting camp we have an outhouse. Use wood ashes (a few scoops at a time) to control any smell. Works great.

In a fall out shelter, a small bottle of that green stuff you use in camper toilets along with 5 gallon buckets and wood ashes would be ok for a few days. Tight lids of course.
 
Mongo

Mongo

Veteran Member
I lived in suburbia pre and post Y2K and our plan then was to build an outhouse in the garden shed in the back yard.

Now I live in the country and could either flush with creek water into the septic system or build a real out house.

Not worried about it.
 
M

Mushroom

Opinionated Granny
We had an inconvenient sewer emergency on New Years Eave last year. We had 15 people here. We had to use a 5 gallon bucket and peatmoss. The peatmoss floats and does not absorb readily. It does not cover the smell. If you decide to go this route temporarily, be sure to have some compactor bags on hand as the regular trash bags just are not sturdy enough to hold even 1/4 bucketfull. I haven't tried the new stronger bags, but they might work. Finding a place to bury the bags in an urban setting is another problem.

We are planning on building another bathroom downstairs this year and would like to install a composting toilet. I am not sure it will be usable, however as most need electricity to run. I will have to do more research on that. If anyone has more suggestions, I am listening. If that is not doable, I suppose we will have to dig a latrine and go the sawdust and ashes route. We have a sawmill nearby, so that should be no problem. We also have a chipper and usually have plenty of wood chips on hand.

Mushroom
 
D_el

D_el

Veteran Member
L

LMonty911

Inactive
no links for this, just a memory- but ive heard rubbing alcohol added to urine will negate the odor of nitrogen. Not a good long term option, but might come in handy for a short shelter stay, espeically if you use the two bucket method- one for liquid waste, one for solid.
 
LilRose8

LilRose8

Veteran Member
Remember that if you are thinking about using sawdust that your local sawmill won't have electricity either. So don't count on that.

Old fashioned outhouses may become what we use if push comes to shove.
 
S

Swampthing

Inactive
If you can't "wee" outside and to save your water remember "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down".

Also another way to save water would be to put a brick or two in the water closet part of your toilet.
 
ioujc

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
Using sawdust is an exellent option.Around here, there are MANY abandoned sawmills and HUGE piles of sawdust just there for the taking, I would recommend howeverm that you obtain a truck load or two bEFORE TSHTF. Just stor it in your yard under a tarp that you weight down. Also, it is not really necessary to purchase lime IF you burn wood, the ashes work wonderfully.
As far as using "exra strenth garbage bags", they really are not nessary either. Do your "business" in a plastic grocery store bag, seal it with a knot, and bury it. Did this for over a year when I lived in a house that had a non-fuctional septic system. I also burns...but like has been said, the smell will knock you down, and it is difficult to get a complete burn.
 
B

BugoutBear

Membership Revoked
I have a septic and an 18,000 gal pool in the back.

You can also use a burn barrel....once you get the poo going it'll keep going on its own.

Also, a trench no more than 6" deep will allow bacteria to eat the waste. Just remember to move the "poop stick" when you do your business, otherwise the person who comes after you will get mad. Especially if it's dark.

There's also chemical toilets, but you'd have to stock up on chemicals.

BugoutBear
 
Tundra Gypsy

Tundra Gypsy

Veteran Member
Anyone know what the military did during the war? How about Vietnam? And what kind of latrines are in Iraq? Or all porta-potties?
 
Christian for Israel

Christian for Israel

Knight of Jerusalem
we're hoping to get property with an old abandoned mine on it (lots of those in nevada). if we do we'll run a pipe into the mine and pump our waste down there. even a small shaft would take a century or more to fill up. ;)
 
Hansa44

Hansa44

Justine Case
Oh crap! :lkick: I hate bringing up these tipi memories BUT I will. In the middle of winter it will be highly unlikely you will want to venture outside to a outhouse in the middle of the night sooooooooo, I'd like to recommend what we did, although we were living on a 40 acre parcel of property and had a place for disposal.

Go to Safeway or one of the big supermarkets that have a bakery. Ask them for one of their big white buckets and the lid that fits it. They get there icings and premade doughs in these buckets. Then buy plenty of the large heavy duty trash bags that do not leak. Put one in the bucket and a little lime if you want. When it's time to empty the bucket, make sure you already have a pit dug for this operation. I would empty the bag into the pit but also throw in the plastic bag and cover with dirt.

Have fun!!!
 
Charlie

Charlie

Membership Revoked
Here in Yooperland we have "two" outhouse seasons.

First there is the winter one. During that time frame, there is no problem with smells, bugs, etc. The biggest problem is the brown "stalagtites" that will grow from the bottom of the privvy and poke you in the butt after a few weeks. For that, all you need is a big stick to break down the growing devil and all is well.

In the summer, the bugs, smell, etc. can get nasty. For that....ashes like mentioned and then......duhhhhhh......dig a new hole and move the "sit house".

A year or so after you move the "sit house" plant a fruit tree in said area and stand back as it will grow really big and fast.

This ain't rocket science if you live in a rural or even suburban area. A 5 foot deep hole is all you need.

Now if you live in a city situation.....MOVE. And MOVE now before it is too late.
 
C

CherylOK

Inactive
Here in the "mountains" of NW Arkansas, many of my neighbors don't have a septic system in. 2 families use the sawdust method, but use cedar sawdust. It's great! IF there's a smell, it smells like cedar.

One family has a hospital potty chair that sits over a 5 gal bucket. You do your business, then scoop some cedar sawdust over it. There is a special compost (?) pile that all that refuse goes in. It's a lot nicer than having to go outside to an outhouse. Downside...they have to carry heavy 5lb buckets outside to dump.

We're homesteading. We DO have a septic in, but we're still working on getting running water to our home. We carry 5 gal kitty litter buckets of water into the house from a 1000 gal holding tank outside.

Someone said to put a brick in the tank. NO!!! If you are dealing with limited water, POUR water directly into the bowl. It maybe takes a gal this way. I pour directly from the bucket, and can get 3-4 flushes.
 
fruit loop

fruit loop

Inactive
For short-term.....

In hurricane season, we keep a big 32-gallon trash can in each bathroom. We drag the hose through the window to fill it. You can't drink this water - it tastes like plastic - but we use it to flush toilets. I think our toilet has a 2-gallon tank.

We limit flushes - yeah, gross, but okay if you keep the lid down. We flush only a couple of times a day, or when someone does #2.

You can also make a chamber pot:
5-gallon orange drywall bucket from Home Depot
Bag of kitty litter
Trash bags

Put the bag in the bucket. Double-bag for safety. Cover the bottom with kitty litter. Works great. Some sporting goods stores even sell toilet seats that fit the drywall buckets
 
R

RoadRunner

Veteran Member
This thread brings back memories of grandpa and his coffee can beside the bed in the cabin..
Bug in 5 gal bucket/seat for #2 and or a funnel mounted to you're wall with hose going outside to a leach field for #1..... thou can't get the DW to go for that " kinda hard to hit I suppose".
 
Cag3db1rd

Cag3db1rd

Paranoid Heathen
that was kind of my plan post shtf. I stock up on kitty litter anyway, and i always have plenty on hand. I keep a bucket in my bathroom at all times just in case we need it for using as a toilet if anything happens. I keep it filled right now with walmart bags to use to line with if we use it. walmart bag, little bit of litter, and a person is good to go.

btw, if you get cat's pride litter in the jug, after it's empty, it's a great jug to keep utility water in for post shtf
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
We used a sawdust (bucket) toilet for a year one time, and I found that dirt or kitty litter didn't work in the bucket. They sunk, and you need something (like peat or sawdust) that will float on top and cover everything, in order to keep odor down and flies out of it.

Kathleen
 
fruit loop

fruit loop

Inactive
Kitty litter does work

You have to shake it up to cover the waste (cover it like a cat does) or sprinkle a light layer on top after you use it.

I use the bucket chamber pot all the time at reenactments. Works great.
 
Cruiser

Cruiser

Membership Revoked
Here in central Florida I figured that I would use my post hole digger and dig down about 4 feet. When it gets to about 2 feet (with use) I will cover it up and move the hole over about 3-4 feet and dig down again. It is so sandy here it takes about 5 min. to dig and the small opening would be easy to cover. Now all I need is a bucket to turn upside down and cut a hole for a "seat".
 
PeekyBooBoo

PeekyBooBoo

Inactive
Nice to know you guys have everything covered... ;)

We have a hospital potty chair. The bucket has a lid. Without confusing you all cause I dont know how to describe this, I'll tell you what what hubby thought he'd do. In our basement, the large pipe that collects all the drainage then goes out to the sewer... has an appendage on it. It looks like an arm sitcking out of it. Its about 1/2 foot long. Anyway, this appendage is capped, but opens up and flows down the the main pipe. Hubby planned to open the cap, and dump our waste out that way.

We got lots of medium garbage bags for #2s.. and also bought a metal garbage can with lid that we could place outside the door to collect bags if needed.

Its also good to remember, that winter to many means frozen ground, and frozen ground means no digging holes for burying.

Our trickiest thing, is going to be getting the dog to poop indoors for one.. and in a box of kitty litter for another. It will devestate her to have to be bad girl and go inside..
 
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