A well designed, correctly installed and maintained compost toilet will not smell.
However, some people may have memories of a smelly, horrible experience with ‘festival’ compost toilets from years ago – thankfully, things have moved on, even if the rain and mud hasn’t!
There’s also a lot of strong (and often wrong or misinformed) opinions online – some people say that you must separate the liquids and solids or it will smell, but that’s just not true. Every situation may one or several approaches and solutions – the right one will depend on a range of factors.
There are lots of different ways that you can manage the odours from a compost toilet, and the best way will depend on lots of factors, including;
This is why it’s a good idea to call or email one of the experts here at WooWoo – we can ask you the right questions and help guide you through the options to come up with the best solution for your site, taking all aspects into account.
So let’s have a look at the various products we sell and the features they have to ensure they are odour-free and provide a pleasant experience for the visitor! Each solution has a slightly different approach to keeping the user experience as pleasant as possible.
Both the Separett Villa and Separett Tiny use the principle of urine separation to provide the initial management of odours. This is achieved through a specially designed toilet bowl that prevents the urine and faeces from mixing.
Pure urine is generally sterile as it leaves the body, and depending on the amount of use you expect, it may be possible to run the urine out of the toilet and into the ground via a soakaway pit or leachate drain. The Separett Tiny has the choice of a model that captures urine in a container (to be emptied daily) or runs the urine out to the ground or to an external container.
We have more information on dealing with urine in the info section of the website. You can also get a general overview on urine-separating toilets on the ‘what is a compost toilet?‘ page.
By removing the urine, the odour from the faeces and toilet paper is much reduced, and is easier to deal with, and in addition, the overall volume of the remaining ‘waste’ will be significantly reduced.
Both the Separett Villa and Separett Tiny hold the solids in a container within the toilet, and utilise a well designed and efficient fan and ventilation system that continuously draws air over the solids and takes all odours out through the vent pipe. Once outside, they will quickly dissipate in the air. Opening the toilet lid will not expose the user to any odours.
Neither of the models require the use of any cover material (sawdust or wood shavings) and rely on urine separation and the fan for odour control, which makes them simpler to use.
The downside to a bowl-based urine separator is that people will need special instructions – specifically that men need to sit down to urinate and ladies sit down fully, and possibly a little further forwards than they are used to. This is to ensure the separation of liquids and solids occurs fully and correctly. There must also be some electricity available to run the extraction fan, although this can be a 12v supply from a solar panel, or mains if available.
Urine separating toilets are generally recommended in domestic and lower use situations where space is at a premium.
Further links for Separett products:
Separett Villa
Separett Tiny with Urine Extraction
Separett Tiny with Urine Container
The Air Head compost toilet is broadly similar to the Separett Villa and Tiny in that it uses a special design of bowl to enable urine separation. Unlike the Separett models, it also adds a carbon-based medium (usually cocoa coir, added only at the start) in the solids container.
After each use, the user turns a handle on the side which mixes the deposits with the coir etc. This aerates the contents (which encourages good bacteria in, that will also reduce the odour), and coats everything in coir, helping to lock odours in. A low powered fan gently draws the foul air out.
As with other urine-separating toilets, the potential downside is that people may need special instructions in terms of their position using the Air Head toilet. There must also be some electricity available to run the extraction fan, although this can be a 12v supply from a solar panel, or the 12v circuit in your motorhome or boat.
Further links for Air Head products:
Air Head with standard seat
Air Head with compact seat
The WooWoo GT is a batch composting toilet and differs from the previously discussed products (Separett and Air Head) in that it doesn’t separate the liquids and solids at the point of use. It is a ‘proper’ composting toilet, in other words, the contents actually compost (break down into a safe, non-odourous medium) within the container.
We generally sell them as a starter pack that includes two containers – one ‘in use’ whilst the other one ‘rests’ and continues composting the contents. Therefore, when it’s time to empty the container, you are handling a safe compost, not a manure. There’s an optional porcelain pedestal (the GT Lux) for installations with enough clearance under the floor.
The container is designed to provide and maintain the ideal conditions for composting to take place, and once the compost bacteria (they are naturally in the air) take hold, the odour will be massively reduced as they act as a bio-filter.
Residual odours are taken away by the wind-powered spinning vent (or optionally an electric fan if the unit is installed within a dwelling or in an area that lacks enough wind).
Up to 90% of the liquid (urine) entering the system is consumed by the composting process, and the addition of woodshavings also act as a soak. The remaining liquid is either evaporated out of the ventilation system, or passes through and comes out the base as a leachate.
The small amount of leachate can be run to a soakaway pit/leachate drain or captured in a plastic container for disposal elsewhere.
When the user lifts the toilet seat, the air will naturally flow down into the toilet and out of the ventilation pipe, ensuring the user is not exposed to any odours.
Further links to WooWoo GT products (note that the WooWoo GT can also be purchased with a cabin – known as the WooWoo Loo GT):
WooWoo GT
WooWoo GT LUX
WooWoo Loo GT Compact Cabin
WooWoo Loo GT Standard Cabin
WooWoo Loo GT Accessible Cabin
WooWoo Loo GT Double Cabin
The Alectura batch composting toilet works in a similar way to the WooWoo GT and comes as standard with a porcelain pedestal. Designed for tiny homes, mobile homes and glamping installations (Shepherds Huts, Cabins, Caravans etc). Like the WooWoo GT, it comes with two chambers, one ‘in use’ and one resting/composting.
The porcelain pedestal is a ‘drop through’ design (not urine separator) which makes it simple to use and doesn’t require people to adjust their position. The chamber has a clearance of just 50cm under the floor.
Ventilation of odours and excess moisture is done through a 12v or mains fan which blows through standard 110mm pipework.
The collection chambers each have a capacity of 90-litres (75-litres useable space). Twin blades are turned once a week from a handle on the outside which aerate the contents (promoting aerobic composting) and level off any heaping which may occur in the centre.
Like the WooWoo GT, composting will start to take place within the chamber, and at that point, odours will be naturally reduced. With the carbon-based cover material (wood shavings), forced airflow, aeration and turning, a large amount of the liquid will be consumed as part of the composting process. Any excess moisture will either be evaporated or will pass out of the chamber as a leachate, which can be run into a soakaway pit/leachate trench or captured in a container for later disposal.
When the user lifts the toilet seat, air will be drawn down the toilet pan, into the chamber, and then out of the ventilation system, ensuring no odours escape into the toilet area.
Users can also add ‘effective microorganisms’ which are a specially selected bacteria that will kick start the composting process in the chamber, reducing odours as the bacteria create a natural bio-filter.
Further links to the Alectura:
Alectura Premium (coming soon)
The Kazuba KL1 and KL2 differ in the appearance of the outer building, but the inner ‘workings’ are identical across the range and this part is known as the STK. The STK is sunk into the ground and comprises a high capacity tank with solids collection basket, evaporation plate, durable toilet pedestal and a large chimney with spinning wind vent on the top.
The elements of the Kazuba STK have been designed to enable an airflow that draws air down the toilet pedestal, through the body of the STK and out of the chimney. Using both the heat of the sun on the chimney and the wind vent, the created airflow will enable evaporation of liquids, drying of the solids and removal of all odours.
The large capacity and low maintenance features of the Kazuba waterless toilet, make it ideal for higher traffic sites with no water, sewage or electricity connections where public access toilets are needed.
An added feature of the Kazuba KL1 and KL2 is that there is no discharge to the ground, making it suitable for installation in environmentally sensitive areas where urine or leachate discharge would not be permitted.
WooWoo have over 500 Kazuba waterless toilets installed across the UK. Sites include golf courses, allotments, nature reserves and parks, working in all weathers, winter and summer.
See how they work here on the Kazuba page.
Further links to the Kazuba:
Kazuba KL1
Kazuba KL2 Compact
Kazuba KL2 Accessible
The Bumper is a new product, developed by Kazuba. It’s transportable so can be relocated if needed to suit the location, time of the year, and changing needs.
As a waterless, chemical-free toilet, it separates the urine from the faeces etc on a conveyor belt, located under the toilet pan (people can therefore use it like any other toilet). Urine flows down and into a holding tank, and ultimately this will need to be pumped out.
Everything else gets moved into the rear chamber at the base of the ‘funnel’ by a solar/battery powered conveyer belt.
All odours are removed in a similar manner to the Kazuba KL1 and KL2 system. The heat of the sun on the chimney/funnel, together with the wind vent, will create an effective flow of air, taking fresh air down the toilet pan, over the lower workings and then up, out and away, ensuring a pleasant visitor experience.
The Bumper has a capacity of around 2,000 visits between empties. Contents are pumped out using pump-out services available all over the country.
Further links to the Bumper:
Each compost toilet manufacturer has taken a slightly different route to ensure their toilets work well and are odour-free. The different approaches are matched to the intended user base, capacity or expected requirements of that toilet, but all rely of some form of active ventilation to ensure they deliver an odour-free experience to the user, whilst avoiding the use of water or chemicals.
Odour control can comprise of any or all of the following:
Always make sure you follow the recommended maintenance guidelines and that you’ve chosen a solution designed for the type and amount of use you anticipate.
Talk to us here at WooWoo before your purchase and we’ll guide you through the various options to ensure a sweet-smelling toilet success story!
Overview Hi, I’m Martin – the WooWoo technical ‘guru’! I’ve written this article help you make the right choice of solar panel size and battery
A well designed, correctly installed and maintained compost toilet will not smell. However, some people may have memories of a smelly, horrible experience with ‘festival’
When you purchase a Separett Villa or Separett Tiny with Urine Extraction, you get a two metre length of semi-flexible pipe to lead the urine
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