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RMCompostToilets.JPG
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Location Costa Rica
Status Deployed
Instance of Composting toilet
OKH Manifest Download

The composting toilets at Rancho Mastatal convert human waste into fertilizer for plants. It has two large compartments to store waste, and it uses sawdust produced either from the onsite workshop, or from another local sawdust resource. The frame of the structure was created using bamboo and timber connected with a mortise and tenon technique.

Components

The various components of the composting toilet are described in the table below.

Image Description
RMCompostToilets10.JPG
From left to right this image displays the toilet, the sawdust compartment, and the lid to the second waste container. The toilet sits on top of one compartment that takes up half of the storage space. When it is full the toilet is moved to the compartment on the right. A lid is kept on the toilet box when it is not in use to help keep pests out of the compost. A generous amount of sawdust must be added after each toilet use to provide ample organic matter for the composting process to occur properly.
RMCompostToilets2.jpg
This image shows the gate to the left waste compartment. When it is full the toilet is moved to the right compartment, and the material in the left compartment is given time to fully compost. As the right compartment fills up, the left one has time to become compost and be used for gardening. When the right compartment fills up the toilet is switched back to the left compartment and the cycle repeats.
RMCompostToilets5.jpg
The chimney allows harmful gases to escape from the waste compartments.

Compost Toilets Under Construction

The gallery below shows a couple images of another composting toilet that is being constructed at Rancho Mastatal.

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Keywords travel internships, composting toilets, composting, toilet designs
SDG SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
Authors Dominick Triola, Justine Cook
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Organizations Rancho Mastatal
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 9 pages link here
Impact 489 page views
Created August 2, 2014 by Justine Cook
Modified February 28, 2024 by Felipe Schenone
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