When you take a dog on a walk, the animal will pee here, walk a few feet (or further), then poo. Think of this source separation – the process of intentionally keeping pee & poo separate – as a crucial step in how waste is managed in a natural environment.
And that is because nothing in Nature is actually designed to be wasted.
As active participants in our shared, living ecosystems, we play a critical role in returning valuable nutrients back to the earth. In other words, after we nourish our bodies, the excess is processed through our bodies and released accordingly.
The problem is that we are accustomed to the porcelain throne: the place where we go to the bathroom, where we intentionally combine our ‘human waste’ for the sake of convenience, and where we flush away fresh water like it isn’t the most valuable resource on earth.
In locations not connected to sewer or septic systems, there is an acute need for a sustainable sanitation solution. One that doesn’t depend on anything but Nature herself.
Enter the *Offgrid Toilet, technically referred to as a Urine Diversion Dry Toilet (UDDT). Thanks to the sleek conveyor belt design, not only do you not have to change your behavior to go 1 or 2, the immediate source separation means no smell and minimal waste maintenance.
When human anatomy and gravity collaborate, Nature is able to take care of the rest. Sterile and self-sanitizing, the urine flows into a drainfield (think French Drain) where it acts as a fertilizer to the soil and surrounding flora.
On the other side (haha), the poo is transported up a foot-powered conveyor belt, where it is then deposited into a decomposition chamber. Since poo is roughly 80% water, and you’ve avoided soaking the poo in pee, it will immediately start to dehydrate. Over the next few years, the local microbes will feed on the poo, ultimately morphing into organic matter that is safe to return to the land.
The *Offgrid Toilet can either be retrofit into an existing structure or paired with a variety of structures (single stall, double, ADA). It’s the equivalent of turning on a light switch, except the light is circular sanitation and the switch is our cool toilet.
So, what did we learn?
Besides the benefits of going on a walk everyday (with or without a dog), the most cost-effective, sustainable, and pleasant toilet solution for non-sewered areas is the *Offgrid Toilet.
When you separate waste, you connect communities. After all, isn’t that what we all want anyway…?
To be one step closer to Nature.
