Hi Enno,

This is interesting - so you have found German large scale composting plants that are willing to take in the faecal matter from your festival toilets? I thought they normally reject that because they only take "green organic waste" from kitchens and gardens, but not material that might contain pathogens?
(see also this thread: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/70-com...-sludgemobile-toilet)

Please tell us more about which company you are collaborating with and how they got around any legal issues in Germany? What do they do with the finished compost afterwards?

Also, could you please post some photos from your toilets at the festivals?

Regards,
Elisabeth

P.S. I just spotted you in front of the camera while watching the end of the live stream from the SuSanA meeting!

Hello SuSannah,

sorry for the silence. We just finished our festival season here and are now back in office.

As far as the composting process is concerned we are currently "outsourcing" the process to official composting plants as we didn't want to make mistakes in our first season.

We have already spent quite some time in investigating other composting options and are going to continue with that very soon. Seems to be good winter work

I will keep you updated.

Have a nice day,
best,
Enno

Hi All, Hamish here from Natural Event.
The Environment Agency in UK took three years to give me the permit to do what we do. They in fact created a special document explicitly for us as there was no precedent for them to rule on. We gained approval in 2011 after three years of operation on the UK. The EA had full knowledge of what we were doing in that time and actually told us they would 'unofficially' allow us to do it until the paper work came through. The EA is not the fastest org in the world however they allowed us 'retro fit ' our practices to the new ruling. We are very proud of leading the pack in the UK and have taken this to new levels with over 1000 composting loos at Glastonbury in 2014.

We also have our brand new super flat packing loos that can fit 180 in a 40 ft container. These new loos can be set up with no or minimal tools at a rate of 20 per hour for a three to four person team..

We are always moving in terms of scale and so we have already developed a system to deal with large scale mass deposits. Our next development will be in line filters using bio char and reed beds for in situ liquid use.

2015 will see us across Europe in Germany, France, Croatia, POland and Malta! viva la revolootion.

cheers,

Hamish Skermer

Hello Enno!

Good to see you are working with Hamish who we had the pleasure of meeting for an evening a few years ago.

Are the German authorities permitting the vermicomposted waste from the Natural Event installations to be used on agricultural land? And if so, after what time scale and subject to any checks for pathogens?

As I recall, Hamish had clearance as to the safety of the system from the regulatory authorities in Victoria, Aus, but was facing obstacles from the UK/ EU ones. I would be delighted to learn that these had been overcome!

Susi Batstone

Hi everyone,
I just want to add to your (Jürgen) initial question of this thread that since this year there is another start-up getting active in mobile composting loos on festivals - Natural Event Germany.
The name tells it: We are connected with Hamish Skermer's Natural Event and use the same toilet design.
Our concept is simple: Give people good and sustainable toilets and mix this with humour, art, music and education/awareness raising.
Despite being our first season we were able to be present on various events and festivals (e.g. Altonale, Habitat, M'era Luna, Highfield, Dockville and Freifeld) - and it is just amazing how good the feedback from both the users and organisers is - we did not anticipate this.
However, there is still quite some work to do in terms of convincing festival organisers to move away from the accepted state of the art = stinky portable loo.

If you are interested to see what we are doing please visit www.facebook.com/naturaleventdeutschland

There is also another thing which I would like to communicate here:

We are currently taking part in the SOCIAL IMPACT START AWARD 2014 - an award for Social Start-Ups where we can win 5.000 € for the further development of our project.
Since we are the only toilet guys in this competition we would really like to show people how attractive sanitation can be So, if you like, vote for us: www.facebook.com/socialimpact.by.iqconsu...=app_515720611858523

All the best!
Cheers,
Enno

Dear Members,
I was reading all post about this new topic “Festival toilets” and I would like to present French situation about mobile dry toilets in festival or yard situation.
In fact, 2 years ago TDM began a brainstorming discussion about mobile dry toilets situation. TDM as a RAE’s member (mentioned by Florian, just to resume that this network is based on ecological sanitation approach including by product valorization particularly in agriculture) contacted during these 2 years several actors about mobile dry toilets. Actors as renters, festival’s organizations or platform, collective composting platform, health ministry, ecology ministry and local sanitation administration have been consulted.
As a result of a 2 years prospection, TDM as a coordinator redact a french’s project named “exact overview of mobile dry toilets practices and scientific under product characterization”. This 2 years study will see collaboration between TDM, the RAE (including renter’s member) and an analysis laboratory translated in an official proposition to donors.
We based our study on several points as:
- There is no regulation framework in France about mobile dry toilets or the use of dry toilets in public situation
- There is a multitude of practices about mobile dry toilets in festival situation (urine diverting system, composting system…) and we would like to target main practices in 6 treatment facilities.
- In order to give scientific basis to elaborate law or recommendation to users / organizing committee / renters we think that is very important to characterize by products by flow approach in term of quantity and quality
- Furthermore, by-products quality must be described by specific microbiological and agricultural parameters.
Final objectives about this study will be to give detailed elements in order to elaborate sizing for events and recommendation for by-products treatment and valorization.
Today’s situation is mainly link to founding research, French sustainable development and energy Agency has been mobilized as well as ministries (health and sustainable development and ecology) and some water agencies.
Regards,

Dear Mwaniki,
There is no offence in your comment. On the contrary, I learnt from your posts because as you rightly point out, it is a matter of cultural difference.
Best regards,
Cecile

Hi Cecile

My comment was not meant to offend anyone. I think my report was based on our social status here in Kenya. Some kind of behavior such as urinating openly is considered annoying to the general public and provocative. It is against the Laws of Kenya. It’s in the penal code. One can be arrested and charged with a misdemeanour in a court of law. What I see here is a disparity of culture and values between peoples of different places and times. Of course, this is characteristic of here but maybe presentational in the greater of the African continent. Maybe Africans are not yet that liberal but are consummate with other freedoms in expression, politics, religion etc

Am sure the Kenyan men can use the concept of uritonnoir during a bull party but certainly not in presence of their wives and daughters. Though the present constitution encourages gender equality there is a red line drawn on the limits as far as manners are concerned.I hope this answers your question.

The system here is that during social occasions one just hires the services of the 'Excloosive Toilets' and your guests just feel good with the utility. You flush after use, wash your hands with soap and its very hygienic. But all the same, I don’t mind using your concept once am in France. After all its said ‘when you are in Rome, do as the Romans do’.

Kind regards

Mwaniki

Dear Mwaniki,

What makes you say that the excloosive is more "civilized" ? Is it because on the picture, there is no privacy of the persons urinating ? Or is it because you don't like the idea of the straw ? Do you think that in Kenya, men would not like this concept of uritonnoir ?
I am asking this because in my country (France), I believe the users of the uritonnoir will probably find the concept really cool (of course, if there is no leachate and no smell hence my initial question !).
Here I am talking about mobile toilets, not toilets that people would have at home.

On festivals in France, as mentionned by Ben, there is a big tendancy to install composting toilets because people who attend the events are quite enthusiastic about green technologies. The plastic cabin toilets (often using chemicals to reuse water and prevent smell) are not really fashionable and not so sustainable.
By the way, the excloosive toilet, which content is dumped in a manhole does not look very sustainable to me either but the website does not give so much details. Doreen why did you promote these portable toilets ? What is the benefit of these toilets as a mobile solution ?

Thanks !

Hi Cecile

I have seen this straw picture which is also new to me but if you go back some 6 weeks ago,Doreen had posted a more civilized toilet and directed you to a website www.excloosive.co.ke/

This kind of toilet is for all (ladies,kids & men) and for all purposes.

I hope this now clears the air.

Regards

Mwaniki

Hi Cecile,
I underastand that the uritonnoir is something new and that not yet much practical experience is available. Basically I've the same questions as you regarding applicability in practice. I imagine that once the the straw bale is full, it starts getting messy. So the main question is probably how to practally monitor and manage this on festivals (but then that's probably not much more easy for other systems). And one main disadvantage is of course that it's only for men
Regards, Florian

Hi Hamish,
I have 2 questions about Natural Events composting toilets.
Are they separation toilets ? Or do you have different kinds of systems ? On your website you talk about vermiculture (separation?) but there's also a picture indicating to put a scoop of saw dust after weeing, so I am confused.

What do you do with the residues collected during festivals. Huge amounts of urine and feces/urine/sawdust mixture are collected. Whate does is become once the festival is over ? Hygienisation ? Reuse ?

@Florian. Great link to the uritonoir ! Thanks
Do anyone on this forum have an experience in this kind of "straw urinal" ? In your opinio what is the absorbtion capacity ? Is there an ideal balance to get a good composting process (C/N ratio ? How many liters of urine per m3 or straw) ? What's the risk of leachate ?
Cecile