Human Manure – How Can We Use This Valueable Resource Safely?

Question

The argument against using human manure is that it is not safe. How can we use this valuable resource safely?

Answer 1

HUMAN EXCREMENT

Is safe to use in many ways and certainly has been regarded as a valuable resource already thousands of years ago

as long as it has gone through a decomposition process

As a fertilizer IN THE PAST and today

PERU
Incas used it as manure mixed with other organic material on their terraced gardens ,a concept that has remained sustainable for at least a thousand years

MEXICO
the Aztecs collected the excrement from the public toilets on the bridges going into the city
and mixed it with the rich mud of the lake ,and used it on the Chinampas (a very sophisticated diverse farming concept employing the forces of the edge effect,utilizing both the water ,and land side of the water and land edge ,to the maximum.even breeding an edible algae,tomatoes and other vines with structures over the water, the droppings feeding fish ,shrimp ,frogs , )
They knew what they were doing and that included using human waste.

What is far less sophisticated is the Mexican coral of the Campesino of recent times.
this is a small fenced area with a flat floor .
one goes in and does IT any where on the floor .
which looks clean
but during the dumping one becomes aware of an eye intensely watching you through the fence
This is not a pervert ,but a pig patiently waiting until you leave ,who then shoots in and cleans the floor .

Also in Mexico is a beach where every bdy poops on a leaf ,
so that the beach dogs can eat the business with out getting sand in their teeth

THAILAND
the people here made beautiful out houses,nicely painted ,adorned with flowers and herbs ,on the side of the road ,
And invited passers by to use their toilets .
for them this was a precious gift ,and the composting toilets of today (see the Permaculture Designers Manual)are build in the same way

IN PORTUGAL( dating from the Moorish culture)
the out houses were build high up to be reached by a stair case and the hole of the toilet was directly over the feeding trough of the pigs
say no more

TODAY
There are many designs on the market for dry toilets that collect compost .
the basic design is a seat with a hole over a compartment that can be emptied at the back

after ones business is finished cover the fresh poop with leaves or /and ash ,this helps decomposition and also is the start of a mix ,as well as killing the smell.
Another idea to take care of smell in these kind of toilets is a metal or plastic pipe that starts at the source of the smell and reaches well above the outhouse where the sun can touch the pipe
Paint that part of the pipe black
And the sun will heat up the pipe and the air inside which then rises pulling the other air behind it and so works as a pump that pumps out the smell.

there is a ceramic dry toilet bowel on the market that seperates the liquids from the heavy stuff which is especially made for compost toilets
One can either use them over a deep hole
and use as an ordinary out house ,when the hole is full (which takes years ,because the stuff decomposes and resolves to practically dust ,the tons of leaves in a forest that fall down each year ,only make a few millimeters if top soil )
OR
use them with a compartment that can be regularly emptied (about once every 6 months )

In Mexico today the Government supplies or sell cheaply these dry toilets for poor communities to relieve water shortage problems.

NOTE
CHINA
In China they put it directly on the plots ,this is not regarded as safe ,the place smells,and the raw manure,which they call NIGHT SOIL can transmit diseases.

SEWAGE
Black water or raw sewage needs to undergo a decomposition process or be filtered before is becomes safe for irrigation. that means you have to give it first to nature in some way and let the organic world play with it for a while .
(Grey water can go straight on)

THE BIG WAY
first a SEWAGE POND ,overflowing into a french drain leading into a pond ,with aquatic plants ,and fish ,and an over flow gutter with reeds and semi aquatic plants
what comes out at the end ,is almost potable

OR

FILTER(smaller system ,not to drink but good for irrigation)
a tank that receives the black water(with a wall in the middle and a connecting opening at the bottom so that the excrement stays in the first compartment ) ,with an over flow pipe leading into the bottom of another container,
the water forcing its way up through rocks ,gravel sand ,and have some papyrus or reeds on top ,what come out can be used for drip irrigation .

black water straight will block you drip irrigation system in no time ,far to much organic sh+t is included .

OR

if you want to put sewage straight into the ground ,
get a long cement drainage pipe ,and cut it in half

place it in a ditch at an angle ,and put some bricks,as islands for the worms to escape the water ,(this is basically a worm processing toilet
and can also be build in a square )
at the end of the pipe continue the ditch a bit more (french drain)and fill it with rocks (to act as an over flow /filter ,that absorbs )

Close the ditch and plant trees on the sides .

LEACHED SEWAGE
there are places where sewage goes in to tanks the tanks have over flows and the places below are saturated with stinky water ,
this water has already been filtered to some extent ,having gone through THE INITIAL FILTERING PROCESS BUT NOT DECOMPOSITION

and is safe for fruit trees and berry bushes ,but for vegetables where we eat the leaves ,it is recommended to have it a bit cleaner .

all depends on what you want it for don`t wash your lettuce in sh*t before you eat it
but you can irrigate your apples with that.

I was in a Mexican Pueblo which ate the vegetables grown on raw sewage water from Mexico city ,(these are huge farming operations ,and there are rivers of sewage from the main city that lead to these fields)
Half of the people in the pueblo were sick with stomach and skin complaints related to this contamination
Even though they washed their vegetable with detergent before cooking
a ridiculous idea
potatoes and other vegetables absorb water

BIO GAS
FINALLY one can build a bio digester which basically is a sealed cement cistern with a pipe leading from it and another back in (to stir the pulp with its own gas )
that can supply cooking gas (with out any smell ) which supplies enough gas to be able to cook for a large family providing they all go to the toilet at home
give them lots of beans so that you can fry a lot of pancakes

yummy

(again designs for the bio digester in Bills Manual)


hope this helps


Buy the book so that i get more free time ,.but it does not all come from there .

Answer 2

I don't think we can use it safely. In the state of California it is illegal to use it because it cannot be cleaned of the preservatives we consume in our food, and many other products that are very harmful. Since manure is used on food crops, I, for one, DO NOT want any human waste on my food.

Answer 3

Feelings And Emotions. Our Human Form.

Answer 4

You CAN use it safely on a small individual scale, like having your own sawdust toilet and compost system. On a large scale their is NOT a plan that can be safe enough to manage it for the masses. Hey, when we can get people to put their chewing gum in the trash it might be time to start trusting them with composting their own humanure.

Answer 5

In my state the cities compost it, dry it, and spread it on farm fields. When we have our septic systems pumped out, that also is spread on farm fields. It makes a good organic fertilizer if not contaminated by industry flushing bad things into the sewer system. Poop is biodegradable.

Answer 6

You can't. Compared to livestock, human intestinal tracts are filthy scumsacks filled with every manner of infection, microorganism, disorder, and parasite. That's just asking for trouble.

Answer 7

It's composted and used as fertilizer. I don't think it's used on human food crops (California here), but there are plenty of other non-food crops (such as golf course sod, flowers).

Answer 8

It's not a valuable resource at all. It's nothing but waste. We have too much fat, etc., in our diets.

Answer 9

You can buy Milorganite(tm) which is municipal sewerage sludge that has been sterilized, dried and pelletized. I use it to fertilize my lawn and gardens

Answer 10

as fuel, burn it