Toilets are facilities that allow the convenient and safe collection of human feces and urine. The modern flushing toilets have undergone an unimaginable transformation into effective flusher with smart features for a luxurious experience.
While modern toilets are exceptionally cool and convenient, they also pose a huge concern: too much water consumption. According to Watersave, flushing toilets smash up 30% of the UK’s water. This is a lot considering some parts of the world don’t have access to clean water and sanitation.
Unlike ordinary toilets, composting toilets do not require water. To butter it up, you might not require sewer, plumbing, or septic connections. Why because these toilets use a biological process called composting to treat feces and urine. So basically, crap is processed back into manure that is organic and useful to plants and other microbes.
It goes without saying that the perfect composting toilets go easy on your wallet as well. And guess what, nature will subtly thank you for practicing a green lifestyle.
Ravaging the internet in search of the waterless toilets? Well, today is your lucky day. We have compiled a list of the best composting toilets available in the market today. We strongly feel that Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet takes the lead out of the five choices. It comes with a lot of convenient features that can make a beginner’s transformation to these unique toilets as amazing as possible.
Best Composting Toilets
| Product Name | Latest Price | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature's Head Self Contained Composting Toilet | Check Price | 22 x 20.5 x 21.7 Inches | 28 pounds |
| Nature's Head Dry Composting Toilet | Check Price | 19.8 x 20.8 x 20.5 Inches | 27 pounds |
| Separett Villa DC/AC Composting Toilet | Check Price | 18 x 26.5 x 21.3 Inches | 47 pounds |
| Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet | Check Price | 24 x 15.75 x 19.8 Inches | 29.5 pounds |
| Pikkuvihrea Waterless Composting Toilet | Check Price | 27.8 x 15.35 x 23.23 Inches | 24.7 pounds |
Here are some top waterless toilet options:
1. Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet
Nature’s Head is an established manufacturer of composting toilets that have many products in the USA market today.
Nature’s Head (NH-SPH) is a self-contained, compact toilet used in the home, vacation cabins, tiny house, RV, trucks, workshop, boat, and survival application.
Its elongated comfort-sized seat makes it a very comfortable toilet to use. It is an environmentally friendly dry toilet, made with lightweight stainless steel that offers odorless operations.
Being a composting toilet, it does not need water to operate. Before using it, fill the toilet with 2 gallons of peat moss (but for sustainable reasons, you could go with sawdust). The spider-shaped handle is used to mix the moss with the waste whenever the toilet is in use. Just give the handle a few turns, and you are good to go.
Features
- Plastic construction
- Runs on a 12V fan
- Floor mounted
- Rugged design
- 5 years warranty
Pros
- A comfortable, elongated design to sit on
- Compact and thus ideal for tight spaces
- Portable for carrying around
- Equipped with a fan to clear out odor
- Saves on water bills
Cons
- It has a short vent hose making it difficult to vent it to the roof of standard homes.
- A smaller urine container that needs to be emptied every two days
- The urine sometimes overflows, causing a mess
Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet takes the top spot because of its convenient technology that included a fan, a turning handle, and an elongated design. The craftsmanship is dependable apart from a few flaws that can be overlooked. You can read more about this composting toilet in this link.
2. Nature’s Head Dry Composting Toilet
In the beginning, two experienced sailors designed the Nature’s Head Dry Composting Toilet, which was appropriate for use on the boat. Today, it comes with a crank handle, unlike the spider handle in the Self Contained model, which could be a good fit for your cabin, RV, boat, and other survival applications.
It offers a waterless operation with a urine-diverting system. Liquid waste is separated into different containers to reduces the risk of leakage of waste. The stainless steel hardware makes it durable and user-friendly.
You have the option of using a ventilation fan that blows out foul odors through a 5-foot pipe. This pipe, however, is too short for use in a standard home.
Features
- Agitator handle
- 5-feet venting hose
- 12v internal fan
- Urine tank cap
- Comes with 4 mounting bolts, an Allen wrench, and an instructional booklet
Pros
- Water is not needed for its operation
- It is a comfortable toilet to use
- Durable and compact
- Easy to disassemble for cleaning
- Comes with a ventilation fan that blows out any foul odor
Cons
- It does not have a slide-out door at the bottom
- The hosepipe, making it less suitable for use in standard homes
- The toilet is made a little tall, so short people will find it a little difficult to use it
Nature’s Head Dry toilet keeps the moisture levels adequate, making hygienic decomposition easy. The crank handle is quicker and easier to use than the spider-shaped handle. The trade-off, though, is that the handle takes more space than the spider-shaped one. It is lightweight, making it easy to transport. No wonder it does pretty well in composting toilet reviews.
3. Separett Villa 9215 AC/DC Composting Toilet
Separett is a Swedish company that has been making waterless toilets for over a decade. The Villa 9215 AC/DC is one of their leading products. It is waterless and urine-diverting that is perfect for people living off the grid.
This vented composting toilet features a single-speed fan, which can be powered with both AC power and a 12 volt DC battery, making it suitable for use in remote locations. This is the main reason why it is highly recommended among all the self-contained, waterless toilet systems in this review.
Separett Villa 9215 is very compact as it does not have a handle that takes up a few extra inches of space. It also mixes the waste automatically, making the decomposition process fast and easy. There is a compostable bag that holds solid waste. This bag can be removed after a few weeks, and it makes disposing of the waste much easier than in most other waterless toilets. You can get compostable bags almost everywhere.
Features
- Oblong shape
- Urine diverting
- AC/DC single speed fan
- Comes with 1 waste container and 10 compostable bags
- ETL certified
- Container fills up after 3 weeks for an average-size family
- Warranty: 5 years
Pros
- It is suitable for use in remote locations where there is no electricity
- This toilet has a small size that makes it fit into small spaces
- Mixes waste automatically and therefore no need to use a manual handle
- It has a sleek design
- This toilet is lightweight, making it easy to transport
- It gives off no offensive odor
Cons
- Some users have complained that it is difficult to get a unit of this toilet
- It comes with a hefty price tag (almost 1 thousand bucks)
Most electric composting toilets have the drawback of being difficult to empty. The Separett Villa 9215 is different, as it makes it very easy to empty the waste. It is one of the most versatile toilets and can be used in any location. Additionally, it comes with all the assembly accessories-including a child seat.
4. Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet
If you are looking for a composting toilet for off-grid purposes, you should consider the Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet. This compact potty is designed for smaller spaces, and the fact that it doesn’t need water to flush is great news to RV owners and avid outdoor enthusiasts.
Like other composting toilet reviews in this article, this one too comes with a detachable seat that makes emptying easier. Waste is channeled separately-liquid into a bottle and solid into compostable bags. The integrated fan vents out odor and provides the right conditions for quick decomposition.
The Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet is almost very easy to install. No special skills needed. But there is one huge drawback: it doesn’t come with a waste stirring handle. Almost all the best composting toilets feature this mechanism. This means you’ll need to sprinkle some medium into the kit and then stir with a stick-and that can ‘yuck ‘some people.
Features
- Separates waste
- Compact camp toilet
- Oblong shape
- Detachable seat
- Built-in fan
Pros
- It does not use water
- Compact and ideal for small spaces.
- Minimal chances of waste odor spreading
- Designed to last a little longer
- Easy to use
Cons
- No mixing handle
- The fan fails sometimes
- Some users have complained of the urine leaking into the solid waste bin
- Power cable might be shorter for some folks
Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet may not be the best breed, but it’s better than shitting in a bucket. That’s right. Sure, some vital parts like the mixing handle may be missing, but the kit’s quality is long-lasting. While it has a good number of glowing reviews, a few people think it is overpriced-which is why the next model might catch your attention.
5. Pikkuvihrea Waterless Composting Toilet
If you are always in your boat, RV, van, or on a campsite, a compost toilet is a must. There is no point to stop by the bush or hold on to your bowel movement until you find a public toilet. Now, if the idea of spending 100+ on a composting toilet, however, seems ludicrous, then you will love Pikkuvihrea Waterless Composting Toilet.
If you look at most online stores, you’ll realize that this vented composting toilet is a go-to model with multiple amazing customer reviews. But the question is, what’s good about it? First, you need water or electricity, which makes it ideal for outdoor chaps.
Secondly, it separates solid and liquid material for easy decomposition as well as preventing odor built-up. The venting system is effective in channeling the odor outside. Additionally, the lid comes off easily so you can top up peat.
Features
- Double container design
- Comes with a hose for channeling excess urine and ventilation pipe
- Hygienic polypropylene plastic
- Easily detachable hose
- Arrives ready to use
Pros
- Easy to maintain
- Completely odorless
- Doesn’t need water or electricity
- Simple assembly
- Supremely affordable
Cons
- So far there is no bad feedback for it
Waterless Composting toilet Pikkuvihrea may be a new kid on the block, but its design and construction promise efficiency. You don’t need special knowledge to assemble and disassemble it for waste removal. On top of it, you don’t need to use water or electricity (just think about how much you can save).
What to Look out for When Buying a Composting Toilet
Buying a composting toilet goes beyond selecting the first one you come across. There are things you have to consider while deciding on which toilet to get. Here are a few of them:
Local Laws
Before you buy a composting toilet, make sure you do enough research to know about the policies governing its use in your state. They are still relatively new, so some states may not recognize its use as legal. If there is a law against toilets’ purchase, buying this product could land you in trouble.
However, if you are a landowner in a rural environment and you plan to use a toilet on your property, you do not have to worry about anything.
Available Space
Even though your waterless toilet is small and does not need as much space as other toilets, it still needs a reasonable amount of space. People who live in tiny homes appreciate the importance of space, so they use composting toilets.
Before you buy one, you should find the amount of space the toilet will need for comfortable use. Compare this value to space you have available in your home, RV, or anywhere else you are going to put it. This way, you can be sure that you are getting a toilet that will fit right into the space you have.
Do not make the mistake of buying it first before measuring the space as some people do. Even though you may be able to return it if it does not fit, you should not put yourself in that situation.
Capacity
The capacity of the composting toilet you choose is essential. It determines how many people it can serve and how often you should dispose of it. The capacity required for two people is different from that needed for six people. Pay special attention to this detail when choosing so you don’t have to empty your kit too often-that can suck.
Apart from the number of people that will be using the toilet, you should also consider how long you will be using it. Figure all these things out, and you are one step closer to getting the perfect toilet for you.
Electricity
Unlike other toilets, most composting toilets need a source of electrical power to run. Before purchasing one, make sure there is electricity where you plan to use this toilet. If not, then opt for a unit that supports both AC and DC so you can switch to alternative power options and not get stranded.
Note that the lack of electrical power should not be a deal-breaker because most models of composting toilets have versions that can be used without electricity.
Installation and Maintenance of the Composting Toilet
After getting a composting toilet, it is important you know how to install and maintain it. This will impact how long you will be able to use the toilet before you need to replace it.
Installation
Before the installation can be done, you need to ensure that there is enough space for the waste bins to be removed. There has to be enough space for the handle to be turned comfortably, too. Most models come with brackets for floor attachment. The ventilation hose must be run outside to carry any odor.
A ventilation fan may be needed depending on how the ventilation shaft is. If it is very long and it has bends, you will have to install a fan. These fans usually work on 12-volt power, and they help improve the ventilation.
The installation kit comes with the unit, though the outside vent is not usually included. What you can find in an installation kit includes:
- A spray bottle
- A 5-foot long hose for the vent
- Allen wrench for installing the handle
- Two mounting brackets
- Four mounting bolts
- Fuse and fuse holder
- An 18-inch long single pin cable for installing the fan
Fill the composting toilet with two gallons of coconut fiber, sawdust or peat moss before using it. The moss should be damp but not too wet. Proper installation spells the beginning of a long-lasting composting toilet. Make sure then that you follow the instructions carefully.
Maintenance
The first thing to note is that you should always turn the handle whenever solids are added to the bin. Doing this increases the rate of composting by mixing the moss mixture and waste.
Pay attention to the solid and liquid bins, too, when undergoing maintenance. Make sure these bins are emptied at the right time. The liquid bin should be emptied every other day because its capacity is usually limited to two gallons. The solid bin lasts much longer, so you can take your time with it. However, the frequency of emptying the dirtbag depends on how you use the toilet and how many people it serves.
Every time you empty the solid bin, fill the bin with a peat moss mixture. Most toilets share the same maintenance procedures, so any experience you have with one toilet will be applicable to another. When in doubt about how to care for your composting toilet, follow the instructional manual recommends or search the internet for guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a composting toilet and how does it work?
A. A composting toilet is a toilet that does not use water for its operation. Instead of water, sawdust or peat moss is mixed with the waste, and the mixture becomes harmless fertilizer. This functioning manner makes these toilets a top choice for areas or occasions that face limited or no water supply. They are environmentally friendly and a welcoming option if you are leaning towards a greener environment.
These toilets have a pretty basic theory of operation. The waste in the toilet is decomposed, just like the waste in a garden composter. For your toilet to function efficiently, three essential things are needed. The first is a vent system. Since human waste contains about 90% water, this water needs to evaporate without causing any odor in the house.
Secondly, the decomposition must take place in a suitable environment. If your environment supports decomposition, the process goes faster.
Finally, you must be able to handle the finished compost easily and safely. Self-contained waterless toilets in the market today are built in a way that all these three conditions are met easily.
Most people do not plan for their toiletries when going camping. This makes a toilet important because passing out waste is inevitable, and using a composting toilet will make it comfortable and convenient.
Q. What are the different types of composting toilets based on the technology used?
A. There are different types of composting toilet systems, and you can be sure of getting one that fits your needs. All these different systems have some basic features in common. They have a ventilation fan, a composting container, and an access door used for emptying the toilet. True composters and dry toilets are the two major types of composting toilet systems.
True composters are built in such a way that the best decomposition and ventilation can be achieved. They are also referred to as active systems with features like fans, heaters, and mixers.
Dry toilet systems (aka passive systems) need to be maintained more often. For decomposition to take place in these systems, require additional heating elements or some other features. They take a longer time to break down waste. Apart from these two, you can also find continuous composters and batch composters.
Continuous composters generally contain one chamber. They are also called single composters. All the composting materials and excrement usually go to the top of the toilet. They are then removed continuously from the bottom.
Batch composters are also known as double composters. They generally have at least two containers. The composters in this system are usually left for a while before more waste is added then disposed of.
There are also self-contained toilets and non-self-contained ones. Self-contained toilets have their composting unit as a part of the toilet. The non-self-contained types don’t come with a composting unit (must be purchased separately).
Q. What are the benefits of using composting toilets?
A. Composting toilets are becoming the craze for a purpose. First and foremost, they do not use water. This is the biggest difference( and obviously the core selling point) between composting toilets and other conventional types. You don’t even need a cup of water.
These toilets not only target homes with little water. Rather, they target those with plenty of water but are looking to go green or simply cut down on water bills. Additionally, they are designed to be super compact, lightweight, and easy to put together or dismantle. These features make them ideal for people who are always in a boat, camp, and RVs.
Composting toilets provide fertilizers. Yeah, very few people are willing to sprinkle shit (pardon the french) on their crops, but that doesn’t stop what’s coming out from being used on plants. You got a garden, right? That’s manure for them-free of charge.
Some composting toilets are inexpensive. Even for those that are expensive, in the long run, they save on water and don’t need a lot of maintenance. If you do your math properly, you’ll realize they are worth more than their initial cost.
Composting toilets are eco-friendly. For people who care about the environment, owning a composting toilet is a must. With the shortage of clean and fresh water in some parts of the globe, its conservation has never been more important. A composting toilet is a good way of conserving this valuable resource.
They are easy to transport. Toiletries usually form a huge part of our plans when going on a trip or going camping. They offer a comfortable way for you to expel waste without worrying about sanitation. Their small size means they will fit into your boat, RV, and other small spaces. With a composting toilet, you no longer have to worry about going to the bush when nature calls.
Q. Where are composting toilets used?
A. Composting toilets are generally used in places with limited water supply. The fact that these toilets do not need water is what makes them popular among users. If you are living in such a place, you do not have to worry about getting water to flush the toilet. All you need to do is install the best waterless toilet, and you are good to go.
These toilets are also used in remote areas. Sometimes when you go camping with your family, one thing that becomes an issue is how you will pass waste. Camping out in the woods can be dangerous if you wander away from the group. Taking a composting toilet camping would solve this problem.
Composting toilets can be used anywhere there is a need for a toilet. They can be used in the house, on a boat, and even in your RV. Houses with huge water bills should look to them as well.
Q. Can you install composting toilets in a shower?
A. No, you should not install a composting toilet in a shower. Water spills can spill into it and impair the waste drying and breakdown. This in turn results in the fan becoming inefficient and odor spreading around.
However, if you have a large bathroom that will allow your toilet to sit very far from the bathtub or shower, then you can install one.
Conclusion
Self-contained composting toilets are a new trend in the toilet market. A trend that is quickly catching on among both environmental and non-environmental ambassadors.
Composting toilets’ unique ability to handle a lot of waste without unleashing odor or needing to be flushed is convenient for many people. Mark you, when you stick to the best practices like emptying it as often and turning the handle whenever your business is done, you will never complain about a bad experience.
Worth noting, there are different toilets with different features. Please take a look at our composting toilet reviews, compare the specs, and pick one that best fits your needs. To be on the safe side, the best composting toilets should include a fan, separate urine from solid waste, have a storage unit of 4+ gallons, a handle, and be easy to assemble and dismantle.
Last but not the least, be in the habit of reading composting toilet customer reviews before you hit the buy button. This way, you can minimize the chances of going for an ineffective imitation.
Happy potty experience.
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