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the toilet
So your toilet doesn't flush anymore, that's ok!
in your home
If your emergency is one in which you are sheltering in your own home - then use your own porcelain throne - this will be more comfortable for everyone
If you have to leave your home, Then the same principles can be applied with cheap and easy materials - but these have to be prepared ahead of time and WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE during a disaster.
Converting to a Dry system
Dust to dust
The practice of using a dry toilet system, and safely returning human waste to the earth is a TRUE principle.
DEUTERONOMY 23:13 -
12 ¶ Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
wet to dry
We are used to a wet toilet system in which we use clean drinking water to flush away our dangerous waste. It is then very expensive and takes numerous steps and processes to then clean that water to be safe again.
Converting to a dry system WORKS.
Empty and clean
1. Turn off the water to your toilet
2. wearing gloves, dip out the water from the bowl
3. Use the clean water in the toilet tank to thoroughly scrub and clean the toilet bowl.
plug
There is a previous section on plugging your toilet and various drains to prevent sewage from upstream coming into your home HERE.
don't skip it, it's important
STEP 1: Scoop out water from bowl
STEP 2: Use water from tank to clean bowl really well
STEP 3: Plug your toilet with a watertight, airtight plug.
wrap
STEP 4: wrap your bowl in a clean black garbage bag with duct tape.
catch bag
STEP 5: put a smaller, garbage bag in the bowl (not a grocery bag - it needs to be liquid tight)
It took some experimentation for me to find the right size to fit my toilet. once you find the size (mine was 3-4 gallons) stock up on these to have plenty on hand.
We are now converting your toilet from a "wet system" to a "dry system"
separate
This is the MOST IMPORTANT step and principle of the entire sanitation discussion.
If you walk away with only one thing you remember, let it be this:
step 6:
separate urine from solids
Urine is not very dangerous. Poop is extremely dangerous.
when you separate liquids from solids, you get:
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Less dangerous mass
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less volume
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less weight
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less smell
There are a ton of ways to separate, and a ton of products available ranging from DIY or $20-$500. Check out what I have to show in the class today.
urine
Urine is not hazardous.
Urine is safe, and easy to work with.
urine is mostly ammonia which then breaks down into Nitrogen, the main component of fertilizers.
Urine should ALWAYS be separated from solids. There are many ways to do this.
have a separate bucket with a lid next to the toilet - empty this often outside.
Use a urine collector just inside the toilet lid - these are very common and cheap to collect urine samples.
It takes a tad of practice, especially with children, but is worth all effort.
Step 7:
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Dispose of Urine outside
Urine is neutralized by sunlight. It can be safely spread onto trees, shrubs, grass, gravel etc without transmission of disease. -
Don't spread on garden edibles.
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Urine can chemically burn plants due to its concentration - so it is a good idea to dilute or sprinkle instead of dumping.
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Never pee in shady areas or caves, holes etc. that don't get sunlight - these will smell bad.
poop
the biggest key to poop is
keep the solids dry
STEP 8: Dry carbon matter should be stored in a bucket next to the toilet. After one finishes their business, cover the solids with dry carbon.
Dry carbons you may have on hand in an emergency:
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Dry Crumbled Leaves
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Straw
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Grass clippings
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Sawdust
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peat moss
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torn paper
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Even Dirt, Ashes, or Lyme can be used if the above are not available
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kitty litter - caution, makes the bag heavy and is non-renewable
The Principle is you want to:
absorb moisture (less smell)
keeps the solids covered from sight (flies) biodegradable.
Leaves
transport
Keep using the plastic bag until it is full - depends on depth of bowl or bucket. my toilet bowl is about 5-6 uses.
Refugee camps have about 1 toilet per 20 people - this isn't ideal. Make sure toilet is getting emptied often enough.
STEP 9: In between uses, place a clean piece of cardboard under the toilet seat - This helps with flies, kids, pets.
odors should be very minimal. but the poop does need air and ventilation to prevent anaerobic bacteria from forming. so if you are using a bucket, don't use an air tight lid.
when bag is full, make a plan to transport it outside.
IMPORTANT
remove obstacles, children, pets etc. out of the way. have someone ready to open doors etc. There is little room for error in an emergency.
STEP 10:
YOU MUST USE A BOX OR BUCKET
to transport the tied up bag of solid wastes. you can't afford for a bag to spill, rip, or drip through your home. - you don't have the wet-vac to clean up safely.
outside
STEP 11: Have a pre-dug hole 18-24 inches deep
Nowhere near water, gardens, root crops, roads or child or pet areas. (orchard trees and bushes ok)
DONT SEAL THE BAG
STEP 12: Dump contents of bag into hole - and then toss in empty bag too.
STEP 13: Cover well with 2 inches of dirt
This will prevent flies from being able to touch it.
If your hole is very deep, make sure you are using covering dirt from 18-24 top inches - this is where all the good bacteria to break down the solids live.
STEP 14: COVER THE HOLE with a sturdy board to keep children, pets and animals out. Make sure there are no gaps for flies to enter.
STEP 15: when hole is full, burry it. place a layer of newspaper and then lyme - and mark it so you know where this is.
The lyme is a deterrent to dogs.
The hole will sink down as the matter in it degrades. 2 ft of waste will compact into about 4inches after a year.
without extra knowledge and skills applied, this solid waste will take around a year to biodegrade, and without thermophiles being fostered (bacteria that produces heat), it shouldn't be considered safe to use.
After a year or more, this area is safe for gardening
respect
The people who police and dump the waste buckets, whether in a family, group or community will probably save more lives than the medical team.
Make sure they are highly valued.
Protect them:
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wear gloves before starting
2.Plan a path
3. Prevent spillage
4. Don't reuse gloves
5. Remove gloves and sanitize with soap and water to remove fats and debris.
making manure safe
This is a fascinating topic to study, but we won't have time to cover in this course.
True composting is using Thermophiles (mother natures housekeepers) which are perfectly designed to render all dangerous pathogens inert through heat.
I highly recommend the book
HUMANURE HANBOOK - by Joseph Jenkins
which has a free PDF online.
toilet away from home
The same steps and principles apply to a bucket toilet or any other toilet you make for use away from home. But there are a few extra tips to know about and lots of available products in a variety of price ranges.
don't tip over
The key to any camp toilet, is to make sure whatever you have, is not going to tip over. Consider what will work for children, body types, ages and physical abilities.
With even just a simple bucket and toilet seat, great solutions can be found.
The key here is PRACTICE:
Play with it and have fun. Its a game. Its great to have found something that works for you and that you are comfortable with before its an essential.
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TRY
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TEST
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HAVE FUN - LAUGH AT MISTAKES
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PLAY WITH IT
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EXPERIMENT AND EXPERIENCE
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MAKE IT A PART OF NORMAL LIFESTYLE
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DO IT FOR ALL THE POSITIVE REASONS
"I would rather die! than live without toilet paper"
Check your false Idols
Toilet paper has barely been around 100 years. There are still people within living memory of not having toilet paper available. Don't let such a trivial issue cause despair.
We are blessed with knowledge and materials that our great grandparents didn't have.
We don't need to return to how things were done in the past, the future solutions may be better than what we have now.
toilet paper
"By some estimates,
Americans each use about 50 lbs. of toilet paper/year"
...
"Each American's annual amount of toilet paper would stretch 2.8 miles, using 284 trees in a lifetime."
...
"You will spend an average of 3 years of your life sitting on a toilet!"
(The Humanure Handbook pg 26)
family cloth
This is reusable toilet paper - though unfamiliar at first, those who try out family cloth rarely want to return to paper.
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Use cut squares of flannel from old sheets or pajamas etc.
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have a stack of clean squares where the toilet paper would be.
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Try out a peri-bottle to clean yourself, and dry with the flannel cloth.
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have a small bucket with a lid filled with a chlorine wash - the used family cloth goes in here.
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have lots of cloth ready
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different family members can even have different cloth patterns if that is easier when learning.
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wash these cloths separate from other laundry. disinfect by laying out in uv sun to dry
Separate sets of cloth can be used to replace other paper products such as kleenex for wiping noses, Paper towels, baby-wipes, even make-up removers. Consider using different shapes or cloth patterns to differentiate. Of course, keep toilet products separate.
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An old flannel sheet cut up into squares makes excellent family cloth. It is very comfortable and easy to clean. One queen sized sheet made about this many squares. You will want lots of family cloth ready so that you don't have to do laundry quite as often.
Flannel does ok without hemming. but you can choose to hem the edges if you would like.
D.I. or yard sales are excellent sources to find old flannel sheets for this use if you don't want to wait for yours to wear out.
The Gut microbiome
This is another rabbit-hole we don't have time to cover.
But if your microbiome is healthy, sanitation cleanup is much easier.
This is something you should be working on now to figure out, before an emergency.
There are many many resources available to learn more, many are free online.
diapers
Today's cloth diapers are not your mom's cloth diapers with pins etc. Don't be afraid to start exploring what is available now. There are amazing and very convenient products available.
If you have babies, or are planning on having children or grandkids within a few years, have sustainable, renewable necessities ready to go. If possible, practice now so that you can find what works for you.
Don't forget various sizes.
Cleanup will be very similar to the family cloth. Dump any solids into toilet, and place diapers into a chlorine solution to be cleaned separate from other laundry.
Don't forget the renewable wipes!
also consider stocking up on other diaper and baby needs.
feminine hygiene
There are amazing renewable, and sustainable hygiene products available today. Plan ahead. Practice now, experiment and find what works. Many women already use and prefer these products to disposable ones, finding them more efficient and comfortable.
Plan ahead for children who may reach puberty in a few years.
see:
Silicon menstrual cups - come in different sizes
natural sponges - don't last as long
period underwear -
dayz for girls cloth -
Sources Cited: For a more in-depth learning module on this subject see the courses available for free and for site members ($5.99/month fee) at www.Jimsway.com. All thanks goes to Jim Phillips for his research and life dedicated in teaching provident living.
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