Composting toilets are innovative and appropriate for many contexts as they 1) reduce water consumption, 2) reduce downstream expenses, operational inefficiencies, and nutrient pollution associated with conventional treatment and disposal of sewage, and 3) recover nutrients into compost to improve soil quality. This work shares lessons learned from the installation of a composting toilet at the UVic Campus Community Garden including an overview of the relevant regulatory framework, opportunities for future research, and discussion of local and international contexts where the implementation of composting toilet systems is preferable given the constraints of conventional sanitation designs. Composting toilets demonstrate the opportunity for a “new normality” in the form of a sanitation system that operates ecologically by conserving water and producing a valuable soil amendment.
Presentation available here