Good for you Jeff (and Treehugger). <p>
That is a core feature of zero waste. Human excretions are a major part of the agricultural loop that goes from soil to plants to food to excretions and should go back to soil. And so-called environmental toilets that heat or burn or chemically "neutralize" human waste are no solutions at all (if they destroy the organic component). They are almost as bad as the sewage treatment plants. We can use organic treatments, such as composting or fermentation. We all need to think of new social designs for everything. It begins with our confidence that we do have the smarts to think up better ways than the experts have forced us to use. Part of purposely dumbing down the educational system is to insure that ordinary kids won't believe in themselves enough to challenge authority in anything that counts. Technical issues as well as the political issues. And it's working. In all my years of recommending new ways to design myriad products and processes along zero waste lines, barely one person has ever had the self confidence to consider my redesigns and critique some. Which I would welcome, since my designs are only first, not final, attempts. It would be great if the progressive community could come to a technical conclusion on the subject of human waste that closes the ag cycle and has no connection to standard sewer systems. Should we form a commission? Fight with the building department? Educate the Supes?
<p>
By the way, I hope everyone realizes that in this much simpler case of drywall, or plasterboard, there is no reason one crumb of that should ever be found in a dump. It is essentially pure calcium sulfate. While construction crews are paying to dump it everywhere, vineyards are paying to buy it (including scraps from drywall manufacturers) to put on their fields for added calcium. Just break it up a bit and distribute it on the ground. Rain and sun will disintegrate it to powder, with some help from your shovel later on. <p>
Sciguy
Are we grown up enough to deal with our own poop?
I'd like to hear from folks whether they would be willing, assuming cost effectiveness and simple maintenance, to stop flushing their problems downstream.
-Jeff
From the article:
For a long time this TreeHugger has been promoting the idea of residential composting toilets, saying that " If we are truly going to develop a zero waste society and protect our water resources, we are going to have to start thinking about dealing with all of our wastes and not keep flushing some of them down the pipe."
https://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/greenbuild-clivus-multrum.php