Even though every person and animal on the planet creates waste, it is an awkward silence that typically follows the beginning of a discussion about toilets, outhouses, and alternative toilets.  In certain public health circles, its every day chatter, but for most of the western world, toilets and their use are not part of regular conversation.

But in any rural living, where connecting to a government or community sewer system is not possible, consideration has to be made for dealing with human waste.

To begin to understand dealing with human waste, let’s look at the two kinds of waste water coming from a typical home.  Waste that comes from a toilet is typically called black water.  it is contaminated with bacteria and usually drains from the toilet.

Waste which comes form a kitchen sink, or shower, or dishwasher or washing machine is typically grey water.  It may have some contaminants, but mostly has some particles and soaps.  In most homes, the gray and the black water are mixed and then dealt with all as black water.  Some states even define any liquid leaving a home as “black water”.

Most recently, the traditional system for disposing of these waste is a septic tank system.  A  septic system — simplified – consists of a holding tank or two, and the a leech field.  The holding tank is buried under ground in most situations, and holds the mixture of solids and liquids leaving a home.

After the liquid sits in the tank for a period, the solids sink to the bottom or float to the top, and the middle liquid is them passed out to a series of drains called a leech field, where the water is passed through surface soil and is cleaned of harmful bacteria.  Every so often, depending on use and size of the tank, the solids or sludge is pupped out of the holding tank and disposal in a waste water treatment facility via a community sewer system.

Septic systems are sized based on the number of gallons in a holding tank — sometimes the tank has two compartments to aid the settling of the solids.  A typical 2 – 3 bedroom house might use a 1000 gallon tank.

The size of the leech field — where the water drains, is determined by size of property and the findings of a soil test often done by a qualified engineer or other expert. This can quickly add several $1000 of dollars to the cost of a home, and in some remote locations, due to geology or other concerns, it may not be possible to use this kind of waste system.

In this series of articles, we’ll explore three alternatives to septic:  composting toilets, incineating toilets, and outhouses.  You may be surprized to read that “what we’ve always done” isn’t necessarily what is best for your farm or you lifestyle.  And the alternatives may be more sustainable.