Terminology & Jargon Glossary

The Australian standard for on-site domestic wastewater treatment units, specifically Part 2 referring to waterless composting toilets. To receive a certificate for this standard, the waterless composting toilet must be approved by a third party licensed certifier. 

Batch refers to a method of composting that involves swapping out collection methods to allow waste time to compost. This can be achieved through interchangeable chambers that are swapped over when full or by using waste bags in smaller systems. 

Any wastewater that has been contaminated by material such as waste from toilets or urinals. Blackwater and greywater do not fall into the same category.

A toilet system  that has no drainage, sometimes a closed system will have no ventilation (like a portable camping toilet).

A generic term that can refer to any toilet designed to create compost.

Collection toilet is a term used by Joseph Jenkins when talking about the “Loveable Loo;” he explains that there is no compost happening in the loo itself and that it composts once it is removed and placed into a larger composting chamber.

This is a really technical term you might see if you’re reading scholarly articles! Ecological Sanitation (EcoSan) is the safe approach to reusing waste and integrating it into agricultural development.

Sullage is a fancy word for greywater and greywater is a nice word for uncontaminated wastewater. That is, wastewater that has not contacted urine or feces (blackwater). 

This includes water from household sinks, shows, baths, and laundries but not waste liquid or excreta from toilets. 

Note: some local jurisdictions may classify kitchen wastewater as blackwater

An alternative to a flushing toilet, macerating toilets will still have a flushing mechanism, but has an additional step after the flush. That’s to break the waste down into smaller parts by basically blending it. This reduces the waste to a slurry that can go through a pump and be transferred to a treatment system.

A leachate drain can be dug for any toilet to account for excess liquid. Any liquid that has entered the system that hasn’t been absorbed into the compost or evaporated will drain away from the toilet. Excess liquids being absorbed or drained away will prevent the compost chamber from flooding or becoming anaerobic.

Used to compare the features of composting toilets. Without additional features to aid in composting, but rely on time to eventually compost the waste is a passive composting system. 

The self contained toilet systems are fully contained inside the pedestal within the bathroom. The collection chamber that sits within the pedestal is limited in capacity due to the size, making it more suitable for individuals or short stay accommodation. 

A large tank that receives blackwater and treats it using an anaerobic process. The water from the tank is dispersed into the soil through large soakage trenches. 

The key feature of a split system is that it is divided between the chambers and the pedestal. The pedestal of the toilet sits on the bathroom floor, above the collection and composting chamber. Utilising the less restricted space outside the bathroom enables greater capacity and higher volume chambers. 

Urine diversion applies to the style of pedestal, so it can suit either a self contained system or split system. 

A self contained system can use either urine extraction or urine collection to maximise solid waste. Separating the liquid allows more waste to be collected when the system is installed and on the move, like in a van.

A urine diversion system is also useful if you want to collect urine to repurpose as a fertiliser. Just remember that urine diversion is taking moisture away from the collection chamber, which will affect the efficiency of composting in the long term.

An alternative to a traditional flushing toilet, a vacuum toilet will usually have a small cistern built in for a flush, which acts similarly to the microflush but with a vacuum flush as well. This is achieved by having an electric pump, either in the toilet pedestal or attached externally, creating negative pressure and drawing waste through the pipes.

An alternative to a flushing toilet, a micro flush toilet won’t have a cistern that fills with water, because it doesn’t have a large flush. The bowl will be dry and will be flushed with usually about a half a litre of water.

An alternative to a flushing toilet, a waterless toilet has no flushing mechanism and therefore needs no cistern and no power.