[USCC] Best opening line in a composting story ever

[John Cossham]

I strongly disagree with the suggestion that compost toilets are 'very 
questionable'.

My composting toilet is a commode which accepts sawdust, humanure and
another layer of sawdust which is then tipped into a brewing bucket.  When
this is full (about once a week or so) this is carefully tipped into the
centre of a hot heap of fruit/veg/garden shreddings/cardboard/pigeon
poo/roadkill where my thermometer says it gets up to 70 degrees celcius for
many days at a time.  Therefore, by anyone's reckoning, this material is
'sanitised' and the vast majotity of 'pathogens' are destroyed.  I turn it
and then let the material sit, cold, for up to 4 years..., riddle it, and
then I grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans etc in it. I've been eating
these for several years now with no ill-effects.  Spent container media is
put under hedges and on the ground under permanent plantings such as fruit
trees, raspberries etc.
There is nothing more satisfying than doing this, closing the loop, not
wasting drinking water with un-neccessary flushing, not sending valuable
nutrients to water treatment works which waste energy with all that bubbling
and spraying...
I agree that the practice of putting uncomposted night soil on fields is not
sensible. But properly composted manures of any description (apart from
those with medicines excreted into them) are fine for growing food in.
My inspiration was and still is the wonderful 'Humanure Handbook' by your
lovely compatriot, Joe Jenkins.  This is an excellent read (go and buy it!)
or if you are not wanting to reward Joe financially, you can download it off
the web!
John Cossham, York, UK johncossham at tiscali.co.uk

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Crowley" <pat at crowleyconsultants.com>
To: "'Compost Discussion List'" <compost at mailman.cloudnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 5:31 AM
Subject: Re: [USCC] Best opening line in a composting story ever


The opening line is GREAT!  Unfortunately the article leads you down the
road to the area of composting that is very questionable, composting
toilets.  Composting toilets do not meet the pathogen and vector reduction
requirements of the 503 regulations, and are therefore no different from
septage.  The material from these "composting toilets" should not be spread
around any gardens or public contact areas, like where your kids play in the
yard.

"Night soil" is nothing but fecal material.  It has been applied to the rice
paddies of Asia for centuries, with the predictable results of disease
transmission.  Composting toilets and humanure are no different.  One must
actually sterilize the pathogens and reduce the vector attraction, and then
apply.  There are no shortcuts, and no easy home processes.

Pat Crowley
Crowley Consultants LLC
1935 Lucky Strike Road
Helena, MT 59602
(406) 458-1935 phone and fax
(406) 439-9231 cell
pat at crowleyconsultants.com

-----Original Message-----
From: compost-bounces at mailman.cloudnet.com
[mailto:compost-bounces at mailman.cloudnet.com] On Behalf Of Matthew Cotton
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 12:34 PM
To: US Composting Council Compost Discussion List
Subject: [USCC] Best opening line in a composting story ever

My nomination for best opening line in a "How to Compost" piece:

"Composting is a lot like sex. It's a healthy, natural process
involving fertility, tumbling around, and -- when it's going right --
steaminess. On top of that, some people call it dirty."

See the whole story here:

http://www.grist.org/advice/how/2008/08/19/?source=most_popular

Matthew Cotton
Integrated Waste Management Consulting, LLC
19375 Lake City Road
Nevada City, CA  95959
(530) 265-4560
Fax (530) 265-4547
matt at mattcotton.com
www.mattcotton.com





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