Best Composting Bogs of 2025, Examined and Reviewed

Roughly 2.5 billion of us worldwide and 4 million of us within the USA stick with out a flushing toilet. In Alaska, about 22 p.c of the inhabitants — merely over 160,000 of us — stick with out working water. The reality is, in my small group of 800 of us, about half stick with out flush bogs and instead use an outhouse. This means my partner and I enterprise exterior each time nature calls — even inside the winter time, completely donned in parkas.

Composting bogs can clear up this dilemma. Some may be utilized inside for consolation, and it might be greater for the environment. Human waste compost has nutritional vitamins that will help your yard. For this piece, I checked out quite a few fully completely different fashions of composting bogs. Some need vitality; some do not. I talked with people who private and use these fully completely different bogs to check the professionals and cons of each one. I personally private the Trelino Evo Composting Toilet, which we use in the middle of the winter months. The easiest composting bogs current an eco-friendly reply to a shortage of indoor plumbing.

How We Chosen the Best Composting Bogs

I stick with out working water and use an outhouse or my Trelino Evo Composting Toilet. For this piece, I did evaluation on what merchandise have been accessible and in distinction them to at least one one other. I moreover surveyed completely different composting toilet prospects about their favorite merchandise. A majority of oldsters I spoke to swore by the SunMar or Nature’s Head producers.

Best Composting Bogs: Critiques & Recommendations

Best Normal: Nature’s Head Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Straightforward organize and arrange
• Easy to clean
• No foul odors

Cons

• You’ll solely sit (no standing to pee)
• Ought to take away your entire toilet to empty solids
• Desires an affect provide

Key Choices

• Weight: 28 kilos
• Functionality: 60-80 robust makes use of
• 19 x 20 x 17.75 inches
• 5-year assure
• $995

Nature’s Head Composting Toilet is a crowd favorite amongst RVers, boaters, and regularly dwelling owners. This could be a waterless toilet that has a separator for liquids and solids. It is designed for as a lot as 4 of us and may you could have been using it on a full-time basis, you’ll need to empty it every two weeks to a month (60-80 robust makes use of). The liquid container holds 2.2 gallons and should be emptied every two to 4 days, counting on use. There is a lure door that you just maneuver to direct liquids or solids to their specific container.

Sooner than using the robust bin that you have to add a composting supplies like peat moss or coconut fiber. This permits greater breakdown. You’ll put your toilet paper inside the robust bin, however it does take longer to interrupt down than your waste. This model does require a venting fan (included) that pulls 1.7 amps per day, and is anticipated to worth about 4 cents per thirty days.

Although it is easy to clean, you do should take away your entire toilet to empty the solids, as a result of the model does not have a drawer to pull out to empty. You’ll empty the solids proper right into a 13-gallon garbage bag.

There’s no liftable toilet seat, nonetheless fairly the seat is attached to the underside making it sturdier, less complicated to clean and unbreakable. That being talked about, this toilet is best for sitting solely, even for males. 

Sherry Wykes of Northwestern Ontario has owned and used a Nature’s Head Composting Toilet for higher than 5 years and loves it. She has modified the precept gasket along with the fan, and her solely gripe is that the location of the flip crank to mix the solids with the moss is on the underside facet of the toilet and is hard to reach. 

Best Odor Administration: Joolca GottaGo Transportable Toilet

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Execs

• No scent
• Separator for liquids and solids
• Stage indicator for liquids and solids
• Bag liner securing system
• Included tools (poker and spray bottle) with storage
• Transportable and lightweight

Cons

• The robust stage indicator solely works with the chemical cassette
• Separator holes are a bit small
• Liftable toilet seat pointless

Key Choices

• No electrical vitality needed
• Weight: 16.9 kilos
• Functionality 1.2 gallons of liquid and a few.5 gallons solids (eco cassette)
• 16.9 x 14.9 x 16.5 inches
• Worth: $251

On the subject of transportable bogs, the adjective “feature-rich” usually doesn’t apply. Nonetheless, attributes like a separator for liquids and solids (with a clipped in bag for the solids moreover), a slide cowl to comprise the smells, a functionality indicator, and cleaning tools, make the Joolca stand out. The one issue that perplexed me a bit was having a liftable toilet seat, as a result of it felt like but another half to interrupt and pointless. Every the feminine and male testers sat to pee (and the outlet for liquids is so small it wouldn’t make sense to face and goal fully).

There’s a great deal of functionality for quite a few days with 1.2 gallons of liquids —  which is measured by an out of doors indicator to allow you to perceive when to empty, fairly than having to look into the outlet or shake to see if it’s full. My female testers did observe that the liquid area was a bit small, so there was splashing every in entrance and in once more, even the place the solids go. 

The robust container is on the market in two decisions: an eco cassette or a chemical cassette. Sooner than you do your robust enterprise, there is a slide take care of that opens the outlet to drop the merchandise off, then you could shut it to comprise the smells. The eco cassette (2.5 gallons) has an ingenious resolution to clip the bag with a protected plastic liner into the bucket.  Then when you elevate the very best off, the bag comes with it. The following step is an easy twist of the bag quite a few situations with the lid to remove the solids with out even seeing or smelling them (or worse — spilling them).

The chemical cassette (2.9 gallons) is sealed and has a spout to pour the solids out with a venting change. The other distinction is the chemical cassette doesn’t have a solids stage indicator. The robust hole can be small, so staining can happen throughout the perimeters. Fortuitously, the included spray bottle and poker allow you clear up after. 

Best for Dwelling Use: SunMar Excel Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Has a heater and fan
• No separation of liquids and solids
• You’ll stand or sit
• Desires emptying quite a few situations per 12 months

Cons

• Desires an affect provide
• Pricey

Key Choices

• Weight: 60 kilos
• Functionality: Empty every 4 months
• 36 x 28 x 36 inches
• Is out there in two colors (bone and white)
• $1,965

That’s as shut as you will get to a regular flush toilet, although it makes use of no water. With an even bigger functionality and the facility to mix solids and liquids with a heating issue, it is ideally suited to dwelling use and quite a few of us as a result of it does not should be emptied sometimes. The SunMar Excel Composting Toilet has no separator, so that you put it to use just like a standard toilet and mix the solids and liquids. All that you have to do is use the rotating arm that extends from the underside to indicate the drum about every completely different day. It is stationary, so all that you have to do is empty the compost drawer underneath the seat wherever from as quickly as to every completely different month per 12 months counting on use.

This toilet makes use of vitality for a fan and heater. The heater—along with added composting medium, like peat moss or coconut core—offers in sooner decomposition than a model with solely a fan or no fan the least bit. It does have an emergency drain inside the rear in case further liquids should be emptied. 

The ding is clearly the extreme value, nonetheless I spoke with Nate who has been using SunMar bogs for five years on his yurt property in Hawaii and claims the value is value every penny.  

Best Non-Electrical: Trelino Evo Composting Toilet

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Execs

• Separator for liquids and solids
• Comfy-closing lid
• Comes with spare lid for liquid bottle and 10 compostable baggage
• Large openings

Cons

• Not best for large groups or households
• Composting course of does not occur within the lavatory
• Secure opening is always open

Key Choices

• No electrical vitality needed
• Is out there in three sizes
• Weight 8.6 to 10.8 kilos (empty)
• Functionality: 1.1-2.6 gallons of liquid and 1.6-2.6 gallons of solids
• $350-550

This could be a lightweight and easy design that is easy to empty, clear, and switch. The Trelino Evo Composting Toilet is right for dwelling, a van, boat, and even at camp. It is intuitive to rearrange and actually delicate and simple to maneuver as a complete unit. My partner and I personally private one for our dry cabin, and it is small enough to swimsuit, easy to clean and empty, and aesthetically seems excellent. It truly doesn’t seem like a bathroom nonetheless fairly a white discipline. 

There is a separate canister for liquids and solids, and the liquid canister is leak proof. The robust canister is form of a small garbage bin and also you set your composting bag in there. We empty the liquids every 5 days and the solids about as quickly as each week.

You do add a layer of composting medium, nonetheless it doesn’t break down the solids. As long as you make the most of compostable toilet paper or place it in a single different container, you could add the bag of solids to your compost. The robust bin comes with a lid if that you have to protected it whereas touring, nonetheless it is not obligatory as a result of the lid of the toilet stays on very tightly, nonetheless when you open the lid to do your enterprise you could get a scent and see all of the issues. That’s fully completely different than the Joolca, which has a slide take care of that seals the small hole after every use.

Best for Worth vary: The Humanure Handbook

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Execs

• Versatile constructing for personal needs
• Low-cost
• No electrical vitality needed to function

Cons

• Handbook labor and time
• Additional work to compost

Key Choices

• Detailed rationalization of composting
• Uncover methods to make your private composting toilet
• Free (instructions on-line) or $25 for paperback

The do-it-yourself approach offers easy-to-follow instructions to assemble your private composting toilet with minimal costs. This paperback e-book ($25) or on-line instructions (free) prepare you strategies to assemble and protect a composting toilet. The related price is nonetheless loads you set into the provides. For example, you must use offers that you already have available for a simple discipline toilet you must use indoors. Or you could go as far as creating an outhouse with a roof and partitions surrounding the exact toilet.

The toilet collects liquids and solids collectively, nonetheless when you want that to compost, that you have to do some further work previous developing the toilet. It wouldn’t not need any electrical vitality or mixing/stirring to compost, nonetheless you’ll need in order so as to add an pure composting medium, like sawdust, straw, or peat moss, after each use to spice up breakdown. The phrase “humanure” is “human manure,” which suggests the fecal matter and urine can be recycled into soil. The aptitude may probably be regardless of you assemble, nonetheless you’ll need to empty and mix the toilet supplies into one different compost bin when it’s full to have the ability to proceed the breakdown. Appropriate composting needs quite a few completely different environmental parts, like warmth, so that’s the reason a DIY composting toilet wouldn’t work in a spot just like the place I keep in Alaska.   

Points to Take into consideration When Searching for Certainly one of many Best Composting Bogs

Comfort

Make certain that the toilet is comfortable with an relevant peak for you. The very final thing you want is to be feeling uncomfortable whereas sitting on the throne.

Cleaning

The entire bogs require some form of emptying or cleaning, so it is essential to find out what you could be ready to put into that course of. The place are you emptying it? Can you attain the entire components to clean it with out taking it apart? Are there many components to clean? Do the weather separate merely if need be? Will it spill or splash on you whereas cleaning? Does it have seal-proof caps to keep up the liquids in whereas transporting?

Improvement

Whether or not or not it’s doubtless one of many dearer variations or a do-it-yourself wooden one, there are numerous questions to consider. Is it sturdy? Would you like devices to place in?  Will it get damaged if it lets inside the components (photo voltaic, chilly, rain) or must you switch it? The toilet seat and lid should be sturdy for every day use however as well as merely eradicated for cleaning.

Transporting

If that you have to transport it, you’ll want to make certain that it is easy to maneuver and disassemble. If that you have to switch it, can you do it alone or would you like help? Does it have handles to maneuver it?  

Rotation

Some bogs require further work than others for the composting to occur. Try this you have to rotate the composting supplies and your solids? Is it easy to entry the rotating take care of? Does this take care of intervene with you when you end up sitting down? Is it easy to rotate by your self?

Smells

The very final thing you want is a smelly toilet, and most composting bogs attempt to protect the scent inside. One attribute that helps with that are protected seals to keep up the smells in.  

FAQs

Remaining Concepts on the Best Composting Bogs

Not all people has the luxurious of plumbing, working water, or flush bogs. The easiest composting bogs can be an ideal and eco-friendly reply. Instead of getting to find a spot for waste, composting means which you can safely return it to the environment.