Hotel Aaculaax
Ecological Construction - Compost Toilet
Clean water is a precious resource in Guatemala and it is especially restricted in the dry season (October to April, when there is virtually no rain). A common flushing toilet is therefore very wasteful and impractical here. After studying and experimenting with many different solutions, we decided that the best answer was a very simple compost toilet.
How It Works:
Under the toilet seat is a 5' deep and 3' wide hole (1.5m by 1m).
At the bottom is a 4' (1.3m) layer of sand for the drainage of the
liquid waste. After every use, a large scoop of soil is thrown into the pit
to avoid a foul odor and to provide bacteria for the decomposing process.
The ventilation, by way of a 4' (1.3m) concrete tube that extends from the
toilet seat to the roof of the building, works with minimal odor. The
maintenance is easy and hygienic. It takes nearly a year to fill the hole,
which then rests for 3 months before it is ready for the garden. During this
period, we use another toilet, which is nearby to the first one. This toilet
seat is built on wooden boards that are removable for extracting the
compost. This compost provides us with nutritious soil for all our gardening
purposes.
In a time of worldwide shortage, the compost toilet is a safe and practical solution for conserving the Earth’s most precious resource: clean water.