While you can poop in the composting toilet, the case is slightly different in matters of diarrhea. Since the content is runnier or has more water than regular waste, you will have to run the fan more to help evaporate the liquid and eliminate the odor but still, your toilet should work regardless of diarrhea.
Most composting toilets will have urine going directly into the waste pile and the urine (along with moisture from solid waste) will be evaporated by an exhaust fan system that helps to reduce the overall amount of moisture in your composting toilet.
Added tip: It's handy to have a spray bottle with some vinegar-water-mix to clean the bowl if needed, which goes for all days of the month. The bottom line is that you can use your composting toilet during your period just like you normally would.
Liquids and solids are collected separately in the composting toilet. Typically, the solid matter in a bucket in the back (lined with a plastic bag) and the urine, in a canister, in the front. Those two can then also be individually be emptied.
Urine fits in as one of the 'green' layers in composting, along with the likes of grass clippings from mowing a lawn and kitchen waste, that all contain nitrogen. However, the higher concentration of nitrogen in urine acts as a compost activator and actively speeds up the process of composting.
Mixed human waste has enough ammonia to slow decomposition, but not enough to kill off parasites, said Lalander. To solve this problem, they say, you need to divert solid and liquid waste into separate chambers. Feces contains far less ammonia than urine, so decomposers can break it down rapidly.
If it's an issue of liquids, adding a bit of vinegar to the liquids container (or with a spray bottle onto the diverter) will help reduce the smell of urine. Urine can change its smell depending on hydration status, medication, or other factors.
Under no circumstances should you put tampons, pads or wipes in a composting outhouse or toilet! The main reason is because tampons, pads and baby wipes contain plastic in them (yes, tampons and baby wipes have plastic fibers!!!). The plastic won't break down and will create microplastics in the ground.
Any type of toilet paper is acceptable; less substantial brands (such as marine or RV paper) will compost the quickest. Diapers, wipes and tampons should not be placed in the solids bin. Many brands of these items are made from a mix of rayon and non-organic cotton, and are commonly chlorine-bleached.
That being said, as a general rule, you would want to remove compost at least once a month if your toilet is used residentially, and once a season if used occasionally or on weekends.
Contrary to popular belief, toilets don't have to be smelly. Composting toilets, or dry separating toilets, are a great alternative to the regular cassette toilet or a public bathroom. When used and maintained properly, they can be virtually odor-free.
If you've got a purpose built composting sawdust toilet like a Nature Loo, a Sun-Mar, Ecolet or Clivus Multrum, you won't have issues with excess urine as many of these options have urine diversion built in along with fans to help keep your composting pile at the right temperature and level of dryness.
With the right conditions and balance of 'ingredients', composting human outputs will happen fairly quickly (around 12 months), won't smell during the process, and will create a safe, sweet-smelling compost that you can use in your garden/grounds around trees and shrubs.
Adding materials like food scraps and garden waste can cause the compost to become less porous, and restrict oxygen movement through the pile. This can damage the aerobic bacteria colony in the drum and can impact decomposition.
Though the initial cost is higher than a conventional toilet, its long-term benefits far outweigh its upfront expense. A composting toilet can save you money and significantly reduce environmental impact over time.
If you have a self-contained composting toilet (all-in-one system) and you have it installed in your home, there is really no need to use heating pads or insulation as the temperatures in your home should be well and truly warm enough to keep your composting pile working nicely throughout the winter.
A great cleaner for composting toilets is pure vinegar for the urine diverter, the urine bottle, and seat, and an environmentally safe soap mixed with water for the rest. You can also mix water and baking soda as cleaner alternative that is microbe safe.
Using pee: a how-to guide. Keep in mind that urine is very high in nitrogen. You may need to pee daily, but your plants don't need your daily pee. Choose plants that need lots of nitrogen, such as corn and squash, tomatoes and cucumbers during their fruit-bearing stage, and older plants that need a boost.
Urine can also speed up the chemical process in the compost heap, making it a better fertiliser to help grow vegetables and save even more energy in reducing food miles. Male urine is better than female urine because it is slightly less acidic.
Many people like to add the waste from their composting toilets to an already established compost pile to continue the composting process with some additional organic waste. If this is the case, when the compost has broken down sufficiently and looks like topsoil, you can use it on your plants.
Urine can be used in compost because it is high in nitrogen and other micronutrients beneficial to your plants. However, this practice should be done with care to prevent contamination by pathogens or creating too much nitrogen content in the composting process.