Best Composting Toilets of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Roughly 2.5 billion folks worldwide and 4 million folks in the USA stay with out a flushing bathroom. In Alaska, about 22 % of the inhabitants — simply over 160,000 folks — stay with out operating water. In truth, in my small neighborhood of 800 folks, about half stay with out flush bogs and as a substitute use an outhouse. This implies my spouse and I enterprise outdoors every time nature calls — even within the winter time, totally donned in parkas.

Composting bogs can resolve this dilemma. Some can be utilized inside for comfort, and it may be higher for the atmosphere. Human waste compost has vitamins that may assist your backyard. For this piece, I checked out a couple of completely different fashions of composting bogs. Some want energy; some don’t. I talked with individuals who personal and use these completely different bogs to study the professionals and cons of every one. I personally personal the Trelino Evo Composting Rest room, which we use in the course of the winter months. The very best composting bogs present an eco-friendly resolution to an absence of indoor plumbing.

How We Selected the Finest Composting Bogs

I stay with out operating water and use an outhouse or my Trelino Evo Composting Rest room. For this piece, I did analysis on what merchandise have been out there and in contrast them to one another. I additionally surveyed different composting bathroom customers about their favourite merchandise. A majority of oldsters I spoke to swore by the SunMar or Nature’s Head manufacturers.

Finest Composting Bogs: Evaluations & Suggestions

Finest General: Nature’s Head Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Easy arrange and set up
• Straightforward to scrub
• No foul odors

Cons

• You’ll be able to solely sit (no standing to pee)
• Must take away the entire bathroom to empty solids
• Wants an influence supply

Key Options

• Weight: 28 kilos
• Capability: 60-80 strong makes use of
• 19 x 20 x 17.75 inches
• 5-year guarantee
• $995

Nature’s Head Composting Rest room is a crowd favourite amongst RVers, boaters, and on a regular basis residence house owners. This can be a waterless bathroom that has a separator for liquids and solids. It’s designed for as much as 4 folks and in case you have been utilizing it on a full-time foundation, you would wish to empty it each two weeks to a month (60-80 strong makes use of). The liquid container holds 2.2 gallons and ought to be emptied each two to 4 days, relying on use. There’s a lure door that you simply maneuver to direct liquids or solids to their particular container.

Earlier than utilizing the strong bin it’s good to add a composting materials like peat moss or coconut fiber. This permits higher breakdown. You’ll be able to put your bathroom paper within the strong bin, nevertheless it does take longer to interrupt down than your waste. This mannequin does require a venting fan (included) that attracts 1.7 amps per day, and is anticipated to price about 4 cents per 30 days.

Though it’s simple to scrub, you do must take away the entire bathroom to empty the solids, because the mannequin doesn’t have a drawer to drag out to empty. You’ll be able to empty the solids right into a 13-gallon rubbish bag.

There isn’t any liftable bathroom seat, however slightly the seat is hooked up to the bottom making it sturdier, simpler to scrub and unbreakable. That being stated, this bathroom is greatest for sitting solely, even for males. 

Sherry Wykes of Northwestern Ontario has owned and used a Nature’s Head Composting Rest room for greater than 5 years and loves it. She has changed the principle gasket in addition to the fan, and her solely gripe is that the placement of the flip crank to combine the solids with the moss is on the underside aspect of the bathroom and is difficult to succeed in. 

Finest Odor Management: Joolca GottaGo Portable Toilet

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Execs

• No odor
• Separator for liquids and solids
• Degree indicator for liquids and solids
• Bag liner securing system
• Included equipment (poker and spray bottle) with storage
• Moveable and light-weight

Cons

• The strong degree indicator solely works with the chemical cassette
• Separator holes are a bit small
• Liftable bathroom seat pointless

Key Options

• No electrical energy wanted
• Weight: 16.9 kilos
• Capability 1.2 gallons of liquid and a pair of.5 gallons solids (eco cassette)
• 16.9 x 14.9 x 16.5 inches
• Worth: $251

In the case of moveable bogs, the adjective “feature-rich” often doesn’t apply. Nevertheless, attributes like a separator for liquids and solids (with a clipped in bag for the solids in addition), a slide cowl to include the smells, a capability indicator, and cleansing equipment, make the Joolca stand out. The one factor that perplexed me a bit was having a liftable bathroom seat, because it felt like yet another half to interrupt and pointless. Each the female and male testers sat to pee (and the opening for liquids is so small it wouldn’t make sense to face and intention completely).

There may be loads of capability for a number of days with 1.2 gallons of liquids —  which is measured by an outdoor indicator to let you realize when to empty, slightly than having to look into the opening or shake to see if it’s full. My feminine testers did observe that the liquid space was a bit small, so there was splashing each in entrance and in again, even the place the solids go. 

The strong container is available in two choices: an eco cassette or a chemical cassette. Earlier than you do your strong enterprise, there’s a slide deal with that opens the opening to drop the products off, then you’ll be able to shut it to include the smells. The eco cassette (2.5 gallons) has an ingenious approach to clip the bag with a safe plastic liner into the bucket.  Then once you elevate the highest off, the bag comes with it. The following step is an easy twist of the bag a number of instances with the lid to take away the solids with out even seeing or smelling them (or worse — spilling them).

The chemical cassette (2.9 gallons) is sealed and has a spout to pour the solids out with a venting change. The opposite distinction is the chemical cassette doesn’t have a solids degree indicator. The strong gap can be small, so staining can occur across the edges. Fortunately, the included spray bottle and poker permit you clear up after. 

Finest for House Use: SunMar Excel Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Has a heater and fan
• No separation of liquids and solids
• You’ll be able to stand or sit
• Wants emptying a couple of instances per yr

Cons

• Wants an influence supply
• Costly

Key Options

• Weight: 60 kilos
• Capability: Empty each 4 months
• 36 x 28 x 36 inches
• Is available in two colours (bone and white)
• $1,965

That is as shut as you’ll get to a standard flush bathroom, though it makes use of no water. With a bigger capability and the power to combine solids and liquids with a heating factor, it’s best for residence use and a number of folks because it doesn’t have to be emptied typically. The SunMar Excel Composting Rest room has no separator, so you utilize it identical to a standard bathroom and blend the solids and liquids. All it’s good to do is use the rotating arm that extends from the bottom to show the drum about each different day. It’s stationary, so all it’s good to do is empty the compost drawer beneath the seat wherever from as soon as to each different month per yr relying on use.

This bathroom makes use of energy for a fan and heater. The heater—together with added composting medium, like peat moss or coconut core—provides in quicker decomposition than a mannequin with solely a fan or no fan in any respect. It does have an emergency drain within the rear in case extra liquids have to be emptied. 

The ding is clearly the excessive worth, however I spoke with Nate who has been utilizing SunMar bogs for 5 years on his yurt property in Hawaii and claims the price is price each penny.  

Finest Non-Electrical: Trelino Evo Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Separator for liquids and solids
• Smooth-closing lid
• Comes with spare lid for liquid bottle and 10 compostable baggage
• Giant openings

Cons

• Not greatest for giant teams or households
• Composting course of doesn’t happen in the bathroom
• Stable opening is at all times open

Key Options

• No electrical energy wanted
• Is available in three sizes
• Weight 8.6 to 10.8 kilos (empty)
• Capability: 1.1-2.6 gallons of liquid and 1.6-2.6 gallons of solids
• $350-550

This can be a light-weight and modern design that’s simple to empty, clear, and transfer. The Trelino Evo Composting Rest room is ideal for residence, a van, boat, and even at camp. It’s intuitive to arrange and really gentle and straightforward to maneuver as a complete unit. My spouse and I personally personal one for our dry cabin, and it’s sufficiently small to suit, simple to scrub and empty, and aesthetically seems very good. It actually doesn’t seem like a rest room however slightly a white field. 

There’s a separate canister for liquids and solids, and the liquid canister is leak proof. The strong canister is sort of a small rubbish bin and you place your composting bag in there. We empty the liquids each 5 days and the solids about as soon as every week.

You do add a layer of composting medium, nonetheless it doesn’t break down the solids. So long as you utilize compostable bathroom paper or place it in one other container, you’ll be able to add the bag of solids to your compost. The strong bin comes with a lid if it’s good to safe it whereas touring, however it isn’t mandatory because the lid of the bathroom stays on very tightly, however once you open the lid to do your online business you would get a odor and see every thing. That is completely different than the Joolca, which has a slide deal with that seals the small gap after each use.

Finest for Funds: The Humanure Handbook

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Execs

• Versatile development for private wants
• Cheap
• No electrical energy wanted to operate

Cons

• Guide labor and time
• Extra work to compost

Key Options

• Detailed clarification of composting
• Learn to make your individual composting bathroom
• Free (instructions online) or $25 for paperback

The do-it-yourself technique gives easy-to-follow directions to construct your individual composting bathroom with minimal prices. This paperback e book ($25) or on-line directions (free) educate you the right way to construct and keep a composting bathroom. The associated fee is nonetheless a lot you place into the supplies. For instance, you should utilize provides that you have already got available for a easy field bathroom you should utilize indoors. Or you’ll be able to go so far as creating an outhouse with a roof and partitions surrounding the precise bathroom.

The bathroom collects liquids and solids collectively, however if you’d like that to compost, it’s good to do some extra work past constructing the bathroom. It wouldn’t not want any electrical energy or mixing/stirring to compost, however you would wish so as to add an natural composting medium, like sawdust, straw, or peat moss, after every use to boost breakdown. The phrase “humanure” is “human manure,” that means the fecal matter and urine will be recycled into soil. The capability might be no matter you construct, however you would wish to empty and blend the bathroom materials into one other compost bin when it’s full as a way to proceed the breakdown. Correct composting wants a couple of different environmental components, like heat, so this is the reason a DIY composting bathroom wouldn’t work in a spot like the place I stay in Alaska.   

Issues to Take into account When Shopping for One of many Finest Composting Bogs

Consolation

Ensure that the bathroom is snug with an applicable peak for you. The very last thing you need is to be feeling uncomfortable whereas sitting on the throne.

Cleansing

All of the bogs require some form of emptying or cleansing, so it’s a must to determine what you might be prepared to place into that course of. The place are you emptying it? Are you able to attain all of the elements to scrub it with out taking it aside? Are there many elements to scrub? Do the elements separate simply if want be? Will it spill or splash on you whereas cleansing? Does it have seal-proof caps to maintain the liquids in whereas transporting?

Building

Whether or not it is likely one of the dearer variations or a do-it-yourself wood one, there are a lot of questions to think about. Is it sturdy? Do you want instruments to put in?  Will it get broken if it lets within the components (solar, chilly, rain) or in case you transfer it? The bathroom seat and lid have to be sturdy for each day use but in addition simply eliminated for cleansing.

Transporting

If it’s good to transport it, you’ll wish to make sure that it’s simple to maneuver and disassemble. If it’s good to transfer it, are you able to do it alone or do you want assist? Does it have handles to move it?  

Rotation

Some bogs require extra work than others for the composting to happen. Do it’s good to rotate the composting materials and your solids? Is it simple to entry the rotating deal with? Does this deal with intervene with you when you’re sitting down? Is it simple to rotate by yourself?

Smells

The very last thing you need is a pungent bathroom, and most composting bogs try and hold the odor inside. One characteristic that helps with which can be safe seals to maintain the smells in.  

FAQs

Remaining Ideas on the Finest Composting Bogs

Not everybody has the luxurious of plumbing, operating water, or flush bogs. The very best composting bogs will be a really perfect and eco-friendly resolution. As an alternative of getting to discover a place for waste, composting lets you safely return it to the atmosphere.