For those who aren’t already aware, the state of California is in a water crisis.  More than two thirds of the state’s water supply comes from the Sacramento Delta, an area poised for catastrophe when the next major earthquake hits.  According to scientists, such an event isn’t just a possibility, but rather a probability, and they estimate that there’s a 75% chance of such an earthquake occurring before the year 2040.  The problem is further complicated by an aging infrastructure, insufficient levies, droughts, and ecological concerns in the area.

All this begs the question, what can California residents do to ensure that there will be enough water in the coming years to support the needs of their growing population?  While the state of California realizes that major steps must be taken to overhaul and revamp the Sacramento Delta area, state agencies are also campaigning to raise public awareness about the need for water conservation.  Though conservation alone won’t solve the problem in its entirety, encouraging residents to use less water is one important piece of the puzzle.

One of the biggest sources of water waste in the average American home is the toilet.  It’s estimated that approximately 25-30% of the average household’s water consumption is flushed down our toilets.  If the state of California could conserve even a part of that water, multiplied across its millions of residents, the savings would be staggering.  One possible solution to water savings in the bathroom are composting toilets.

Composting toilets have been around for decades in one form or another, all with the same basic goal-to convert human waste into compost, a harmless substance that looks and smells like ordinary garden soil.  Like most products, composting toilets have moved through a product development life cycle that began with fairly primitive fixtures and has evolved into a very sophisticated and highly effective product.  The modern composting toilet is not only 100% odorless, but it’s also easy to maintain and operate and is aesthetically pleasing in today’s residential bathrooms.

Composting toilet systems are not cheap.  A single, self-contained unit retails around $1,500, or a large, whole-house system with toilets in multiple bathrooms can cost around $3,500.  How can the state of California make it financially feasible for their residents to install these pricey fixtures in their homes?  One possible solution is to subsidize the cost of the toilets with tax incentives.  Many states offer tax breaks to homeowners who install high-efficiency windows, doors, and HVAC units, so why not offer a tax credit to homeowners who install approved composting toilet systems?

The state could gather an independent panel of plumbing and home repair experts to evaluate the various models of composting toilets on the market today, and identify one or more particular brands and a group of models within those brands that the state could deem to be “approved fixtures.”  The state could even subsidize part of the tax credit offered to homeowners by cooperating with the manufacturers of those composting toilets.  For example, for every tax credit the state of California gave to a homeowner who purchased a qualifying system, the state could then provide that same documentation to the composting toilet manufacturer to receive some credit or rebate on the sale, payable directly to the same funds that the tax credits come out of.

While this may seem fairly simplistic, the state of California has to start somewhere if they want to encourage water conservation on a large scale.  Reducing residential water use by even 10-15% would make a huge difference in the state’s water situation, and composting toilets might be just the product to help them accomplish the task.  For Californians, at least it’s worth some consideration.

For more information on compost toilets and other waterless toilet options, visit the Composting Toilet Store at http://www.composting-toilet-store.com/
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There are many pros to installing a composting toilet: money savings for the owner, improved facilities when the composting toilet is replacing an old outhouse, and particularly environmental benefits.  In this article, we’re going to discuss a few of the ways that composting toilets make a very big and very positive impact on the world around us.

Environmental Benefit 1-Less Pollution
The disposal of human waste is one of the largest sources of pollution, water contamination, and disease on earth.  In many third world countries, basic sanitation systems are not present, meaning that people are simultaneously drinking from and eliminating in the same streams and rivers.  The health implications of this are obvious.  The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of all disease and death in developing countries is cause by polluted water, with fecal matter being one of the major contaminants of freshwater around the world.

Even in developed countries like the United States, 20% of people are getting their tap water from private wells, which are easily contaminated by old, failing septic systems that owners don’t want to spend the money to repair or replace.  Septic systems should be inspected every 2 years and pumped every 3-5 years to ensure proper functioning and to prevent possible contamination of nearby wells and other groundwater.  Failure to do so can lead to fecal contamination causing dysentery and even hepatitis.

Environmental Benefit 2-Use Less Water
Since many composting toilet systems are waterless, and since about 25% of the average American home’s water consumption is used to flush toilets, the potential water savings from composting toilets are huge.  As much as 80 to 90 gallons of water per day, or approximately 32,000 gallons per year, can be saved in a U.S. household simply by installing composting toilets.  When freshwater is saved, this also means that energy is saved-the energy that would otherwise go into wastewater treatment plants where wastewater is made clean again.

Environmental Benefit 3-Nutrients are Recycled, Not Wasted
Did you know that over 90% of the waste we produce is actually water?  When the water is removed, and salts are oxidized, only about 3% of the original waste is left.  When this small 3% is properly decomposed, valuable nutrients are leftover, creating a fertilizer that is ideal for plants, trees, and shrubs.  By flushing our waste down the drain, we waste an enormous amount of water simply to transport the waste to another location where those valuable nutrients will be disposed of, instead of recycled back to nature.  A composting toilet, on the other hand is a completely self-sufficient system that does not waste water and uses very little energy.

The primary function of any composting toilet is to first evaporate all the water, leaving behind the very small amount of solid matter.  In a properly functioning composting toilet, this solid matter need not be seen or dealt with directly by the homeowner until it is completely processed (decomposed), at which point it will look like nothing more than inoffensive garden soil.  This compost can then be added to your flower garden, trees, or shrubs, where it will provide excellent growth benefits for those plants.

As anyone can see, composting toilets make a lot of sense when compared to their traditional, water-wasting counterparts.  So if you are someone who is concerned about the environment, or who simply wants to save money on your water bill, and if you need to replace a toilet in the near future, it might be time to give composting toilets a little further consideration and research.  Today’s modern systems are clean and sleek, completely odorless, and very easy to install and maintain.  By installing a composting toilet, you’ll save money in the long run, and you can rest easy knowing that you’re doing something really great for the environment, too.

Ellen Bell works for the Composting Toilet Store. For more information about waterless composting toilets or to request a free catalog, visit us at http://www.composting-toilet-store.com/Compost_Toilets_s/34.htm

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