Editing Composting toilet (section)

== Design considerations ==
[[File:TerraNova Sitzdichtung (6211343544).jpg|thumb|Composting toilet with a seal in the lid in Germany]]

=== Environmental factors ===

Four main factors affect the decomposition process:<ref name=":0"/>
* Sufficient oxygen is necessary for aerobic composting
* Moisture content from 45 to 70 percent (heuristically, "the compost should feel damp to the touch, with only a drop or two of water expelled when tightly squeezed in the hand".<ref name=":1" />)
* Temperature between {{Convert|40|C|F}} and {{Convert|50|C|F}}, which is achieved through proper chamber dimensioning and possibly active mixing
* [[Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio]] (C:N) of 25:1

=== Additives and bulking material ===
Human waste and food waste do not provide optimum conditions for composting. Usually the water and nitrogen content is too high, particularly when urine is mixed with feces. Additives or "bulking material", such as wood chips, bark chips, sawdust, shredded dry leaves, ash and pieces of paper can absorb moisture. The additives improve pile aeration and increase the carbon to nitrogen ratio.<ref name=":1" /> Bulking material also covers feces and reduces insect access. Absent sufficient bulking material, the material may become too compact and form impermeable layers, which leads to anaerobic conditions and odour.<ref name=":1" />

=== Leachate management ===

[[Leachate]] removal controls moisture levels, which is necessary to ensure rapid, aerobic composting. Some commercial units include a urine-separator or [[urine diversion|urine-diverting]] system and/or a drain at the bottom of the composter for this purpose.

=== Aeration and mixing ===
Microbial action also requires oxygen, typically from the air. Commercial systems provide ventilation that moves air from the bathroom, through the waste container, and out a vertical pipe, venting above the roof. This air movement (via [[convection]] or fan forced) passes carbon dioxide and odors.

Some units require manual methods for periodic aeration of the solid mass such as rotating the composting chamber or pulling an "aerator rake" through the mass.

=== Comparisons with other types of toilets ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2021}}
==== Pit latrines ====
{{Main|Pit latrine}}

Composting toilets convert feces into a dry, odorless material which is very different to the wet fecal sludge produced in [[Pit latrine|pit latrines]] which has to be taken care of through a [[fecal sludge management]] system. Composting toilets do not cause [[groundwater pollution]] due to their safe containment of feces in above-ground vaults compared to pit latrines, allowing composting toilets to be sited in locations where pit-based systems are not appropriate.

Composting toilets may have higher capital costs than pit latrines, but lower lifecycle costs. They require more involvement by the user than the "drop and forget" approach of pit latrines.

==== Flush toilets ====
{{Main|Flush toilet}}

Unlike [[flush toilet]]s, composting toilets do not require a [[Sewerage|sewerage system]] and do not mix flushing water with urine and feces. They require more involvement by the user than the "flush and forget" approach of flush toilets connected to [[Sewage treatment|sewage treatment plants]].

==== Urine-diverting dry toilets ====
{{Main|Urine-diverting dry toilet}}

Composting toilets, although similar to and sharing many advantages and disadvantages with urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDT), are more complex and require more maintenance to keep a consistent and relatively high moisture content. Some composting toilets are designed with [[urine diversion]].