When my wife and I decided to move over to a "Tiny life", it wasn't just about a smaller space, it also involved sustainability for us. We really wanted to minimise our wasteful impact on our planet. Using 4 litres of water to flush every time you used the toilet seemed just so unnecessary and wasteful to us. When we sold our house, we also encountered problems when we discovered that our septic tank had started to leak and we were then forced to bear the enormous cost, a five-figure sum, to either replace it or to connect to a proper sewer. As the next step in our little house journey was to try to purchase 5-10 hectares of land, we wanted to ensure that the transition was as easy as possible. I.e. not to have to worry about either a septic tank or a sewer and the costs this would entail.
So that meant that a composting toilet was a must for our home. It met the requirements for a sustainable life, less waste, and also potentially saves us lots of money en route. When it came to choosing, I did some of my research by looking at alternatives based on what others have done. I knew that I wanted the toilet to be as "traditional" as possible. This essentially eliminated the very rustic DIY versions where people basically build a platform above a bucket and use a compost mixture to keep the composting process going. This wasn't going to work for us. Urine diverting alternatives such as Nature's Head and Separett seemed most sensible. We had the opportunity to use Nature's Head when we stayed in a small house for a mini holiday while we were planning, it worked pretty well, but we weren't convinced. Neither of us found the appearance attractive (the appearance is more fitting to a caravan or a boat), nor the fact that you were forced to mix up the waste with the levers on the side. The major drawback for me was the urine bucket at the front. It wasn't just because of the sight (seeing how much someone has urinated), but it was one more thing that I/we would need to empty. Frequently. Separett Villa looks more like a traditional toilet, it doesn't need any manual mixing, and as the urine is conveyed out with the grey water, we preferred this one, even though it was more expensive, it was worth it for us.
We have been using it since May when our Tiny house was completed, and I have no doubt that we made the right choice for our family. Emptying the container is not as bad as you might expect, as long as you do it regularly, there is no disgusting smell indoors to speak of (which is shocking when you consider what there is inside the toilet in the container), we do not waste clean water and we do not need a septic tank or a sewer connection. I would absolutely make this purchase again if I had to.
We definitely need to invest in the child's seat, as my 5-year-old finds it a bit difficult to position herself, and we had another little girl just a week ago who will need to learn at some point too.
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We are delighted to be able to share their story and their life in achieving a more sustainable home and life style.
You can follow this wonderful little family on instagram, @bigfaith_tinyspace you can also have a guided tour of their Tiny house on youtube BigFaith TinySpace