How to empty a composting toilet – the complete guide

Most eco toilets installed in motor homes are urine diverting which means you’ll have two chambers to empty. Toilets like the Mini and the Tiny have separate urine tanks that will need to be disposed of responsible, and solids chambers that are lined with a compostable bio bag. You’ll need to find a dump site while you’re travelling to empty these into. The bio bag is designed to break down in a moist environment so it is safe to dispose of the waste in an external composting bin as well if your end goal is still to get compost.

We have a number of different types of self contained units that will all function a little differently. The Clivus Multrum CM2 and the Nature Loo NL2 are the easiest to both install, use and empty. The single chamber within the pedestal collects both liquid and solid waste for composting so when it is full it is as simple as lifting the chamber out and placing it outside with the lid on. A new chamber will have to replace this one (set up the same as the first with bulking agent) so you can use your loo as normal. Thankfully, the exaust and the excess liquid drainage are all installed in the shell of the system and not the chamber so nothing has to be disengaged or re attached during this process. Once the waste has finished composting you will place the chamber where you would like to empty the compost, then tip or shovel the material out and the chamber can then be used in the system again.

The Separerra is a little different from this. The urine will be diverted into a black water tank or similar holding container to be disposed of responsibly at a dump site or diluted with water to be used as fertilizer. The waste chamber will then be emptied into a larger composting chamber where microbes will work to break the matter down. Depending on the style of chamber you have the compost can be removed in a couple of ways. Once the material has finished breaking down in whatever chamber you have it in you can then move and tip or shovel the waste out of it where you need it; or you can put the material in a traditional compost chamber to break down directly into the Earth.

The Ecolet 25e and 65e are self contained continuous composting systems that require only a drawer at the bottom to be removed to use the composted material. The hummus tray can be easily pulled from the bottom of the system and then emptied, the tray can then be returned to the system and used as normal.

Our batch split systems (such as the Cluvus Multrum Low Profile and the Nature Loo Classic 650) have been designed to be changed and emptied with ease. The chamber will need to be disconnected from the toilet first by lifting the lid of the chamber up the waste chute’s length. We like to install a strap or hook under the floor of the toilet to attach the chamber lid so it stays out of the way during the swap over. Following this, both the air ventilation and the excess liquid hose will need to be removed; these can just be put to the side so they can be attached to the next chamber. Then it’s a simple process of moving the chamber out from under your home placing it in a nice sunny spot away from your home, with the out-of-service lid on, to allow it to finish composting.

When this process has finished and you have a soil like mixture remaining, wheel the chamber to where you are putting the compost and remove the lid; then, either tip the system or leave it flat to shovel/scoop out the material.

Our continuous composting systems are the easiest to access and remove compost from. Each of these large chambers will have an “access door” at the front that will allow you to get to the composted material without encountering any fresh material. From here it’s as simple as shovelling the compost into a wheelbarrow and putting it where you need.