Save the Date: The Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene 2011, 9-14
October, Mumbai, India

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is pleased
to announce "The Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene 2011,"
to be arranged in Mumbai, India, from 9-14 October of this year. The
event will be a vital  platform to discuss and advance sanitation and
hygiene issues of importance to billions of people.

Arranged by WSSCC, the event has several aims. First, it will facilitate
learning and sharing between WSSCC members, sector practitioners and
policymakers. Second, it will energize professional communities through
an exclusive platform dedicated to sanitation and hygiene. Third, it
will showcase knowledge, investment, communications, advocacy,
partnership and networking approaches. And finally, it will strengthen
national, regional, South-South and global dialogue and collaboration.

For hundreds of WSSCC members, sector professionals, country agency
representatives and individuals from civil society, business and WSSCC
partner organizations, the forum will be an exciting week of learning
and sharing on the critical sanitation and hygiene issues of our time.

For more information, or to join the mailing list for regular updates,
visit http://www.wsscc.org/node/1251 <http://www.wsscc.org/node/1251> .
You may also download the official 1st Announcement in PDF form here
<http://www.wsscc.org/sites/default/files/publications/mumbai_1st_announ\
cemt_en_internet.pdf> . The 2nd Announcement, with more detailed
programmatic and participation details, will be available in late April
2011.

Kindly,



David Trouba

Programme Officer, Communications Officer

Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)

15, chemin Louis-Dunant

1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 560 81 78

Mobile: +41 79 261 5400

Fax: +41 22 560 81 84

Email: david.trouba@... <mailto:tatiana.fedotova@...>

We have a new website! Visit www.wsscc.org <www.wsscc.org>



WSSCC works to achieve sustainable sanitation, hygiene and water supply
for all people.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have a piece of property that has a creek on it.  I can't install a
conventional septic system.  I have been approved for a a drip system, but that
will cost $20K to install.  I never liked the idea of septic systems anyways. 
There is too much waste.  I have built composting toilets for my property.  I am
interested in putting your composting toilet in my house.  The question I have
is do I have to have a septic tank when I have composting toilets.  It makes
since to me that I should not have to have a septic tank when I have composting
toilets.  It makes since to me that all I would need is a drain field for my
household Gray Water.  Do you have any idea?  Have you heard of anyone doing
what I want to do?

Thank You

That would be nice, but in most counties you can't get a building permit without
a septic system or attachment to city sewer. It varies from place to place. You
would need to check with your local environmental health folks to be sure. I
wanted to do the same thing, and was denied. I ended up living in an RV on my
property for a few years, and explained I could take my waste away and dump it.
I also had a composting toilet system and grey water system for the shower, so I
did not HAVE any waste in the tanks of the RV. My drip system was going to be
similarly expensive, and eventually I sold the property. Too much hassle.





________________________________
From: BRIAN <POSJEEP@...>
To: compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, April 15, 2011 2:36:51 PM
Subject: [compost-toilet] Do I need a septic tank if I have a composting toilet
in my House


I have a piece of property that has a creek on it.  I can't install a
conventional septic system.  I have been approved for a a drip system, but that
will cost $20K to install.  I never liked the idea of septic systems anyways.
There is too much waste.  I have built composting toilets for my property.  I am
interested in putting your composting toilet in my house.  The question I have
is do I have to have a septic tank when I have composting toilets.  It makes
since to me that I should not have to have a septic tank when I have composting
toilets.  It makes since to me that all I would need is a drain field for my
household Gray Water.  Do you have any idea?  Have you heard of anyone doing
what I want to do?

Thank You




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Most jurisdictions will require you to have a approved septic system of
some sort. Now, that doesn't mean you have to use it.

On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:36:51 -0400, BRIAN <POSJEEP@...> wrote:

> I have a piece of property that has a creek on it.  I can't install a
> conventional septic system.  I have been approved for a a drip system,
> but that will cost $20K to install.  I never liked the idea of septic
> systems anyways.  There is too much waste.  I have built composting
> toilets for my property.  I am interested in putting your composting
> toilet in my house.  The question I have is do I have to have a septic
> tank when I have composting toilets.  It makes since to me that I should
> not have to have a septic tank when I have composting toilets.  It makes
> since to me that all I would need is a drain field for my household Gray
> Water.  Do you have any idea?  Have you heard of anyone doing what I
> want to do?
> Thank You
>
>


--

Steve Spence
Renewable energy and self sufficiency
http://www.green-trust.org
http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com

Hi Brian,

From a purely practical point of view - no you do not need a septic tank. It
kind of defeats the purpose of the composting toilet.

You do need a greywater system added though. .

Here you have the option of conventional septic leach field, planted bed, reed
bed and some manufactured systems specifically for treating greywater.

Put them together and you have a sensible, practical alternative to septic
system.

BUT - your local authorities are normally not sensible or practical when it
comes to new ideas!

They may have various demands that are made up from lack of information about
composting toilets and greywater treatment.

What you need to do is ask yourself if you think the rules suck. And if you
think they do, then mount a concerted education program to assist them in
understanding composting toilets and greywater treatment systems and getting the
rules changed.

Understand that you do not need to "battle" them. Most authorities now have
dedicated sustainability mission statements. You need to show them how you can
help them practically achieve them. Keep waving it in their faces - "How can you
say you are pursuing sustainable values when you are not even prepared to look
at low water, low energy systems" etc.

There is enough information out there to show evidence that the systems are
safe.

You need to help them become experts in composting toilet and greywater systems.

I suggest you;

- Find the main person / group who is responsible
- Explain what you are doing
- Give them a list of links to online information
- Print out any relevant studies
- Print practical examples in other areas
- Contact authorities who are pro composting toilets and greywater and see if
they will contact your authority
- See if they will let you run the system as a test case - you may need to pay
for occasional testing


Don't forget, you pay these people. They are there to help you. they are not the
enemy!

Or forget all this, just put in the cheapest, smallest septic tank you can to
keep the authorities happy, take off the top and fill it with gravel and
productive plants and use it as part of your greywater system!

Good luck and let us know if you need help getting the information.

cheers,
Kevin Ison

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Brian,

It depends on where you live. In indiana if you have indoor plumbing they
require that you still install a septic system.  I guess call the health
department I think that's who runs the show. In the county you live in. Wherever
you get your septic permits and ask them if you would need to install a septic
for grey water. I guess ask them if it's required by law.  That's all the advice
I can give you. We didn't do that though we have a greywater without a septic
the only problem you get into is solids like hair or bits and pieces of in
organic material that doesn't rot could potential fill your lines up over time
if you didn't have a sediment tank of some sorts.  That's all the advice I can
give. Hope it helps.


>
>From: BRIAN <POSJEEP@...>
>To: compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com
>Sent: Fri, April 15, 2011 5:36:51 PM
>Subject: [compost-toilet] Do I need a septic tank if I have a composting toilet
>in my House
>
> 
>I have a piece of property that has a creek on it. I can't install a
>conventional septic system. I have been approved for a a drip system, but that
>will cost $20K to install. I never liked the idea of septic systems anyways.
>There is too much waste. I have built composting toilets for my property. I am
>interested in putting your composting toilet in my house. The question I have
is
>do I have to have a septic tank when I have composting toilets. It makes since
>to me that I should not have to have a septic tank when I have composting
>toilets. It makes since to me that all I would need is a drain field for my
>household Gray Water. Do you have any idea? Have you heard of anyone doing what
>I want to do?
>
>Thank You
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

How go you like your nature's head? we are thinking about getting one since
servicing the for the motor on our biolet seems almost as expensive as getting a
new toilet here in AK.
Kat

--- In compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Spence" <steve@...> wrote:
>
> I have a separate urinal (chlorox bottle with a drain line).
>
> My commercial composting toilet (natures head) has a urine diverter.
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:09:29 -0500, BRIAN <POSJEEP@...> wrote:
>
> > I am planning on making a composting toilet.  The question I have is
> > urine in the composting toilet.  Since urine is mostly water, does it go
> > into the primary 'brown wates bucket'. Since urine is mostly water it
> > will take the urine a long time to evaporate.  Plus if you have a party
> > and there a lot of people getting rid of there beer the bucket is going
> > to fill up fast.   Has any one built a composting toilet with a urine
> > derverter.  I have not seen any plans on it.
> >
>
>
> --
>
> Steve Spence
> Renewable energy and self sufficiency
> http://www.green-trust.org
> http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com
>

I am very happy with it. It's small, light weight, and built to last.


On Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:43:36 -0400, kat <katsniptoys@...> wrote:

>
> How go you like your nature's head? we are thinking about getting one
> since servicing the for the motor on our biolet seems almost as
> expensive as getting a new toilet here in AK.
> Kat
>
> --- In compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Spence" <steve@...> wrote:
>>
>> I have a separate urinal (chlorox bottle with a drain line).
>>
>> My commercial composting toilet (natures head) has a urine diverter.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:09:29 -0500, BRIAN <POSJEEP@...> wrote:
>>
>> > I am planning on making a composting toilet.  The question I have is
>> > urine in the composting toilet.  Since urine is mostly water, does it
>> go
>> > into the primary 'brown wates bucket'. Since urine is mostly water it
>> > will take the urine a long time to evaporate.  Plus if you have a
>> party
>> > and there a lot of people getting rid of there beer the bucket is
>> going
>> > to fill up fast.   Has any one built a composting toilet with a urine
>> > derverter.  I have not seen any plans on it.
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Steve Spence
>> Renewable energy and self sufficiency
>> http://www.green-trust.org
>> http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com
>>
>
>


--

Steve Spence
Renewable energy and self sufficiency
http://www.green-trust.org
http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com

Dear colleagues,

WSSCC is pleased to let you know the following:

The new Global WASH Campaign, entitled "Good Dignity Practices (GDP)
for Gross Domestic Product", has been launched. Learn more here:
http://www.wsscc.org/wash-advocacy/campaigns-events/global-wash-campaign\
/GDPforGDP
<http://www.wsscc.org/wash-advocacy/campaigns-events/global-wash-campaig\
n/GDPforGDP> .

·         Mr. Barry Jackson, who joined WSSCC as Programme Manager
for the Global Sanitation Fund in August 2008, reaches the United
Nations-mandated retirement age in 2011, and so WSSCC is currently
seeking a successor to the senior-level post currently occupied by Mr.
Jackson. The application deadline is 7 July 2011. You can read more
about the position here: http://www.wsscc.org/about-us/jobs
<http://www.wsscc.org/about-us/jobs> .

Sincerely,

Dave Trouba, WSSCC



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

United Nations, 21 June 2011—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, along
with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, Ugandan Minister of Water &
Environment the Hon. Maria Mutagamba, and His Royal Highness the Prince
of Orange, today launched the "Sustainable Sanitation: Five-Year
Drive to 2015" (http://www.sanitationdrive2015.org
<http://www.sanitationdrive2015.org> ), a push to speed up progress on
the Millennium Development Goal target of improving global sanitation by
2015.

The launch took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York, with
members of the Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and
Sanitation and other dignitaries in attendance.

The Millennium Development Goals include a target of halving, by 2015,
the proportion of the population without sustainable access to basic
sanitation. With 2.6 billion people – half of the population in
developing regions – still without access to improved sanitation,
the target is lagging far behind, and without urgent and concerted
action globally it will be out of reach.

On 20 December 2010 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling
upon the UN Member States to "redouble efforts to close the sanitation
gap".

The resolution established a global push, "Sustainable Sanitation: The
Five-Year-Drive to 2015", to focus attention on the Goal and to mobilize
political will, as well as financial and technical resources.  The
resolution also made history by calling for an end to open defecation,
the most dangerous sanitation practice for public health.

Over 1.1 billion people have no sanitation facilities at all, and
practise open defecation. According to UNICEF, inadequate and dirty
water, poor sanitation, and improper hygiene are the main causes of
diarrhoea, which each year kills at least 1.2 million children under
five. The organization says diarrhoeal diseases are mainly
excreta-related; therefore it is crucial to protect people from contact
with faeces. Improvements in sanitation can lead to an almost 40%
reduction in illnesses caused by diarrhoea.

Achievement of the sanitation goal, UNICEF says, will have far-reaching
and lasting effects on the health and well-being of millions of people.

WSSCC is playing a key role in developing the advocacy strategy and
materials and will work collaboratively with other partners supporting
the initiative. 

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help
children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries,
UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation,
quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of
children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.  UNICEF is funded
entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses,
foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its
work visit: www.unicef.org <http://www.unicef.orgAbout>

About UNSGAB
The United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and
Sanitation is an independent body established in March 2004 by the UN
Secretary-General to give him advice as well as to galvanize action on
water and sanitation issues. Chaired by His Royal Highness the Prince of
the Netherlands, the Board is composed of a wide range of dignitaries,
technical experts, and individuals with proven experience in providing
inspiration, moving the machinery of government, as well as working with
the media, the private sector and civil society. See:
http://www.unsgab.org/ <http://www.unsgab.org/About>

About WSSCC
The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council is an
international organization that works to improve access to sustainable
sanitation, hygiene and water for all people. It does so by enhancing
collaboration among sector agencies and professionals who are working to
provide sanitation to the 2.6 billion people without a clean, safe
toilet, and the 884 million people without affordable, clean drinking
water close at hand. WSSCC is hosted by UNOPS and contributes to
development through knowledge management, advocacy, communications, and
the implementation of a sanitation financing facility. WSSCC supports
coalitions in more than 30 countries, and has a broad membership base
and a small secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. http://www.wsscc.org
<http://www.wsscc.org>

For further information, please contact:

Leanne Burney, UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and
Sanitation
Tel: 212 963 5003, Email: burneyl@... <mailto:burneyl@...>

Rita Ann Wallace, UNICEF Media
Tel: 212 326 7586, Email: rwallace@...
<mailto:rwallace@...>

Martina Donlon, UN Department of Public Information
Tel: 212 963 6816, Email: donlon@... <mailto:donlon@...>

Amanda Marlin, WSSCC
Tel 41 79 650 2629, Email: amanda.marlin@...
<mailto:amanda.marlin@...>

Dave Trouba, WSSCC
Tel 41 79 261 5400, Email: david.trouba@...
<mailto:david.trouba@...>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Members

It my pleasure to inform you that SV National Institute of Technology, Surat
(Gujarat), India  is organizing a
National Workshop during 20-21 October, 2011 on Ecological Sanitation.
Ecological Sanitation is one of the important issues dealing with protection
and reuse of water and sustainable dispose the human excreta. The main purpose
of this workshop is to disseminating and sharing of knowledge by bringing the
Policymaker, Academician, Researcher and NGO at one platform.  The expected
number of participants for this
programme is around 200.   You may visit
the http://www.svnit.ac.in/conferences/Ecological.pdf
 
We would like to
invite you to participate in the workshop.  Please let me know if you need the
separate
invitation to attend the workshop.  

Regards
Dr Kunwar
 
***********************************************************************
              Even Impossible Word Says "I M Possible"
***********************************************************************
Dr KUNWAR DURG VIJAY SINGH YADAV
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
SV National Institute of Technology, Surat
SURAT- 395 007 Gujrat, India
Phone: +91-9428398266 Mobile
email: kdjhansi@...
***********************************************************************

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I despise Bill Gates and Microsoft for their anti-competitive business practices
and their contribution to the intellectual property paradigm we have today. Bill
Gates's philanthropic actions do not make up for his misdeeds. 


Microsoft's recent advertising campaign is promoting the buying of new PCs so
that it will run Windows 7. Microsoft has caused BILLIONS of tonnes of ewaste by
continually causing consumers to purchase new equipment. Even when recycled,
most of it has ended up in China, where children are dying of cancer due to the
way it's recycled...


But I thought people would be interested in this:


http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/safe-affordable-sanitation-1\
10719.aspx


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Very interesting read and heartening. Thank you!



________________________________
From: sanjay jain <sanjayjainuk@...>
To: "compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com" <compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "media@..." <media@...>
Sent: Thursday, 21 July 2011 1:22 PM
Subject: [compost-toilet] Gates Foundation Launches Effort to Reinvent the
Toilet


 
I despise Bill Gates and Microsoft for their anti-competitive business practices
and their contribution to the intellectual property paradigm we have today. Bill
Gates's philanthropic actions do not make up for his misdeeds. 

Microsoft's recent advertising campaign is promoting the buying of new PCs so
that it will run Windows 7. Microsoft has caused BILLIONS of tonnes of ewaste by
continually causing consumers to purchase new equipment. Even when recycled,
most of it has ended up in China, where children are dying of cancer due to the
way it's recycled...

But I thought people would be interested in this:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/safe-affordable-sanitation-1\
10719.aspx

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

LinkedIn
------------




I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Pure

Pure Portugal
Owner at Pure Portugal Ltd
Coimbra Area, Portugal

Confirm that you know Pure Portugal
https://www.linkedin.com/e/27rns0-gqf3to0t-2n/isd/3621300839/G7QLX0J6/



--
(c) 2011, LinkedIn Corporation

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks, Sanjay.

Several folks and agencies told Gates that improved sanitation (handwashing
and excreta management) could save more lives than vaccines, its initial
focus.

However, the lack of "toilets" in the world is not the deficiency. It's
excreta management. Many toilets worldwide drain to drinking water and
vectors. Funding technologies, many of which already exist or have been
tried and not advanced for various reasons, is a narrow view of the
challenge. As many know who have introduced advanced wastewater management
systems to communities, the challenge is implementation. This is true in
both developed and developing countries.

Also, many toilet technologies, such as the one noted in a recent article
about Gates-funded systems, are actually very complex, somewhat energy
intensive, and hard to deploy.

I don't think a better mousetrap is the first priority but a better way to
plan wastewater management so a variety of solutions suited to local
conditions can be deployed.

It's heartening that Gates's funding is raising the profile of the
sanitation priority (several papers have been written about how sanitation
is unduly bypassed in favor of drilling wells), and I hope it concurrently
funds innovative program structures.

(Sanjay, I was just thinking of you last month. Had a visitor from India who
does work you would appreciate.)

Carol Steinfeld
1a.  Gates Foundation Launches Effort to Reinvent the Toilet
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost-toilet/message/1842;_ylc=X3oDMTJyMWRpN2xs\
BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzExNDg5Njk2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTcyNDg3NARtc2dJZAMxODQyBHNl\
YwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEzMTEzNDA1NDU->
Posted
by: "sanjay jain" sanjayjainuk@...
<sanjayjainuk@...?Subject=+Re%3A%20Gates%20Foundation%20Launches%20Effor\
t%20to%20Reinvent%20the%20Toilet>
  sanjayjainuk
<http://profiles.yahoo.com/sanjayjainuk>  Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:22 am (PDT)


I despise Bill Gates and Microsoft for their anti-competitive business
practices and their contribution to the intellectual property paradigm we
have today. Bill Gates's philanthropic actions do not make up for his
misdeeds.

Microsoft's recent advertising campaign is promoting the buying of new PCs
so that it will run Windows 7. Microsoft has caused BILLIONS of tonnes of
ewaste by continually causing consumers to purchase new equipment. Even when
recycled, most of it has ended up in China, where children are dying of
cancer due to the way it's recycled...

But I thought people would be interested in this:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/safe-affordable-sanitation-1\
10719.aspx

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

   Back to top <?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#13151fcc31c51665_toc>
  Reply to sender
<sanjayjainuk@...?Subject=Re%3A%20Gates%20Foundation%20Launches%20Effort\
%20to%20Reinvent%20the%20Toilet>|
Reply
to group
<compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com?Subject=+Re%3A%20Gates%20Foundation%20Launches%2\
0Effort%20to%20Reinvent%20the%20Toilet>|
Reply
via web post
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost-toilet/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJyMXBtZjlnBF9TAzk3\
MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzExNDg5Njk2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTcyNDg3NARtc2dJZAMxODQyBHNlYwNkbXNn\
BHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEzMTEzNDA1NDU-?act=reply&messageNum=1842>
  Messages in this topic
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost-toilet/message/1842;_ylc=X3oDMTM2Y2UzdWpq\
BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzExNDg5Njk2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTcyNDg3NARtc2dJZAMxODQyBHNl\
YwNkbXNnBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEzMTEzNDA1NDUEdHBjSWQDMTg0Mg-->(2)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What's sad is the people in China don't care about their health or the
environment. It's all about the money.  Which is what Bill Gates is all about.



________________________________
From: sanjay jain <sanjayjainuk@...>
To: "compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com" <compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "media@..." <media@...>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2011 6:22 AM
Subject: [compost-toilet] Gates Foundation Launches Effort to Reinvent the
Toilet


 
I despise Bill Gates and Microsoft for their anti-competitive business practices
and their contribution to the intellectual property paradigm we have today. Bill
Gates's philanthropic actions do not make up for his misdeeds. 

Microsoft's recent advertising campaign is promoting the buying of new PCs so
that it will run Windows 7. Microsoft has caused BILLIONS of tonnes of ewaste by
continually causing consumers to purchase new equipment. Even when recycled,
most of it has ended up in China, where children are dying of cancer due to the
way it's recycled...

But I thought people would be interested in this:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/safe-affordable-sanitation-1\
10719.aspx

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hear, Hear!  Kent Madin



________________________________
From: Carol Steinfeld <carol@...>
To: compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 8:27 AM
Subject: Re: [compost-toilet] Digest Number 766


 
Thanks, Sanjay.

Several folks and agencies told Gates that improved sanitation (handwashing
and excreta management) could save more lives than vaccines, its initial
focus.

However, the lack of "toilets" in the world is not the deficiency. It's
excreta management. Many toilets worldwide drain to drinking water and
vectors. Funding technologies, many of which already exist or have been
tried and not advanced for various reasons, is a narrow view of the
challenge. As many know who have introduced advanced wastewater management
systems to communities, the challenge is implementation. This is true in
both developed and developing countries.

Also, many toilet technologies, such as the one noted in a recent article
about Gates-funded systems, are actually very complex, somewhat energy
intensive, and hard to deploy.

I don't think a better mousetrap is the first priority but a better way to
plan wastewater management so a variety of solutions suited to local
conditions can be deployed.

It's heartening that Gates's funding is raising the profile of the
sanitation priority (several papers have been written about how sanitation
is unduly bypassed in favor of drilling wells), and I hope it concurrently
funds innovative program structures.

(Sanjay, I was just thinking of you last month. Had a visitor from India who
does work you would appreciate.)

Carol Steinfeld

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Friends,




The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is pleased
to welcome you to the

Global Forum on Sanitation  <http://www.wsscc-global-forum.org/>

and Hygiene <http://www.wsscc-global-forum.org/>
(www.wsscc-global-forum.org)
from 9 to 14 October 2011 at the


Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel in Mumbai, India.




The Programme Announcement and Call for Registration has just been
published and gives more information about the

aims and objectives of the Global Forum, who will be participating, what
plenary, breakout and side event sessions are planned,

the links to the recent regional sanitation conferences such as SACOSAN
and AfricaSan, and which special events and activities

will take place, such as the WASH Fair. For more information, click the
link below.

   <http://www.wsscc-global-forum.org/> www.wsscc-global-forum.org
<http://www.wsscc-global-forum.org/>



Kindly,



Dave



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear member of Compost Toilet,



We have just published the First Announcement of the Dry Toilet 2012
Conference. The A4 Brochure is suitable for printing purposes and the larger
one is good for reading in electric format. The larger one is also found in
our website at www.drytoilet.org/dt2012.



You are allowed to distribute the Brochure in your own professional and
social network.

Best wishes,
Erja Takala
--

*Erja Takala (Mrs)*
*Conference Secretary*
*Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland*
*secretary2012@...* <secretary2012@...>
Tel. +358 45 875 3597
Skype: Dry_Toilet_Secretary
*www.drytoilet.org*
*Facebook: Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland*


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,

Sorry for the off-topic post (a privilege for moderators). If you agree eWaste
is a problem, please sign this change.org petition to Microsoft:


http://www.change.org/petitions/microsoft-ceo-stop-promoting-e-waste

You have probably seen Microsoft's recent
television advertising campaign promoting new PC purchases. One ad shows a women
reluctant to replace her 4 year old PC because she didn't need a new PC. Another
campaign is giving away Xbox game systems to new PC
buyers.

Microsoft is doing this so that people will start using Windows 7,
it's latest Operating System. Microsoft has a history of products that
force consumers to buy new equipment, but it has never been so blatant
in asking people to replace their PCs.

We are all aware of the problems of e-Waste. Even when recycled, most equipment
ends up in China where the "processing" is causing cancers in children. See
60-Minutes expose of the issue at: Following The Trail Of Toxic
E-Wastehttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/60minutes/main4579229.shtml

A typical PC, with the occasional hardware upgrade can last over ten years. Why
replace it after only four years?

Please ask Microsoft to stop promoting e-Waste.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

While many compost bins can take 6-12 months to break down their contents into
usable humus, the BioPodTM Plus eliminates most of your food scraps in as little
as 1-2 days using a naturally occurring, beneficial organism traditionally found
in many compost and worm bins. The BioPod™ Plus optimizes the instinctual
abilities of this species, rapidly creating a live feed (for fish, chickens, and
herptiles (reptiles and amphibians)) more valuable than ordinary compost.

http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/2011/08/16/the-ultimate-in-composting-has-a\
rrived/

A friend of mine, Bentley Christie, has been espousing the concept of continuous
flow worm composters, and has developed a number of such designs. I love this
low tech, no cost worm bin the best. As food scraps build up in the pants, the
worms move higher up in the "bin", allowing you to periodically empty the
castings from the two legs.

http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/2011/09/03/the-creepy-pants-vermicomposter/

We have posted quite a bit about composting lately, and we have done that
because we believe it's so important. Valuable nutrients are being wasted by the
ton in this country when folks consider everything as garbage that needs to be
landfilled. This causes landfill space issues in addition to losing the
nutrients being thrown away.

The breakdown of biological matter is called digestion. There are two types,
aerobic (with air, better known as composting), and anaerobic (without air, used
in producing biogas (methane)).

In this article, we are going to concentrate on aerobic digestion, more commonly
known as composting.

There are several methods for composting. Some are outdoor methods, where
materials are piled, sometimes in a bin, or in a row, and nature is left to take
it's course. Some are more intentional, where the material is turned or rotated,
speeding up the process.

There are indoor methods as well, including worm composting and mushroom
composting.

Worm composting produces a high quality soil amendment (worm castings), a liquid
fertilizer (worm tea), and of course, worms, which can be used as chicken or
fish food, or sold to fishermen. The most common composting worm is Eisenia
Fetida, or red worm.

Mushroom composting is another option, especially with woody yard waste, which
does not normally compost well. The byproducts are mushroom compost, and of
course, mushrooms, which are a healthy food crop that can be used for personal
consumption or commercial resale.

The goal here is to produce high nutrient value soil amendments and fertilizer,
improving the soil quality, and growing better plants without chemical
additives.

Another method is grub composting. The grubs consume all the biological matter
(including "uncompostables" like meat and human/pet poo), so instead of giving
you compost, they give you high protein grubs, to be used as chicken or fish
food. As fish and vegetable gardens (or aquaponics) do not use dirt as a growing
medium (it's a form of hydroponics), compost is not needed, but high quality
fish food is.

For all the above methods, there are a variety of DIY options as well as
commercial products available. We have built worm and grub bins using plastic
storage tubs, barrels and buckets, compost bins using old pallets, and mushroom
beds using woodchips and logs. The following article has many links that will
lead you to DIY plans, as well as the packaged commercial solutions.

http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/2011/09/17/why-composting-and-how-to-do-it/

I recently got a nature's head toilet. The urine container gets emptied every
other day when it gets full that has not been a problem until recently. Now the
urine is developing an ammonia smell. Is there a way to keep this from
happening? any ideas would be welcome.
Kat

Dear Kat

The best way to avoid the smell keep the urine in closed container. The second
solution is to maintain the pH 

Regards
Kunwar
 



________________________________
From: kat <katsniptoys@...>
To: compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 1:06 PM
Subject: [compost-toilet] ammonia smells


 
I recently got a nature's head toilet. The urine container gets emptied every
other day when it gets full that has not been a problem until recently. Now the
urine is developing an ammonia smell. Is there a way to keep this from
happening? any ideas would be welcome.
Kat




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.c-head.com   designed for boats but would fit in an RV or off-grid
cabin.  Half the price of the other two marine composting head companies.  Looks
promising.

Do you put anything in the urine container?  I use dish soap, that helps.  Sugar
also helps.

--- In compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com, "kat" <katsniptoys@...> wrote:
>
> I recently got a nature's head toilet. The urine container gets emptied every
other day when it gets full that has not been a problem until recently. Now the
urine is developing an ammonia smell. Is there a way to keep this from
happening? any ideas would be welcome.
> Kat
>

By Mayo Clinic staff<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/AboutThisSite/AM00057>

"Urine odor refers to the scent of your urine as you excrete it from your
body. Urine odor varies — ranging from sweet to foul.

Urine odor is related to the volume and concentration of a variety of
chemicals excreted by the kidneys. Normally, diluted urine has little to no
odor. If your urine becomes highly concentrated, urine odor may have a
strong ammonia quality. Many foods and medications — such as* asparagus or
certain vitamins — also can affect the odor of urine.*

Sometimes, unusual urine odor indicates an extremely rare condition, such as
the inherited disorder called maple syrup urine disease."


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kat,
Urine's constituents can start to permeate plastic over time.
We noticed this in different urine containers.

Try alternating urine tanks on the Nature's Head. Either buy an extra NH
urine tank or use a 3-gallon bottle (even juice bottles) or gerry can.

Pour out the contents and fill it with water with some vinegar. Let it soak
for a day or two. You can also pour this mixture into the other tank when it
is emptied and alternate the liquid between the two.

We have tried adding vinegar to urine (helps a little), baking soda (no
noticeable difference), and sugar (not much difference). That's why I'm
fairly sure the odor issue has to do with the chemistry in the plastic.

Alternately, you could create a stopper insert in the urine drain of your
toilet, but the shape of the urine drain in both the Nature's Head and
Airhead make this tricky.
If you have space, you can also attach a tube to the urine outlet and drain
it to a larger vessel somewhere else or even to a gravel-filled trench (no
odor).

Good luck!
Carol Steinfeld


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I haven't got a compost toilet yet - as we are stuck in Military housing.
However, I have noticed that training potties do eventually get the same ammonia
smell. At the same time there is often a build up of calcium deposits from the
urine. A training potty is an open container though, so I just rinse it out and
scrub it with baking soda. Maybe a baby bottle brush would assist in cleaning
the inside of a closed container. We do after all, scrub the bowls of water
using toilets to remove the same build ups and smells.
Maybe that will help.
-Elizabeth

--- In compost-toilet@yahoogroups.com, "kat" <katsniptoys@...> wrote:
>
> I recently got a nature's head toilet. The urine container gets emptied every
other day when it gets full that has not been a problem until recently. Now the
urine is developing an ammonia smell. Is there a way to keep this from
happening? any ideas would be welcome.
> Kat
>