History of Composting Toilets
It can be argued that humans have been composting human waste since time immemorial. However, in terms of when the first composting toilets were developed, the history is a little murky. There are several competing claims, and the history of composting toilets is likely to be revised over time.
For a long time, it was argued that the first commercially designed composting toilets were developed in Sweden in the 1930s or 1940s. Apparently what prompted this development in Sweden was the extremely rocky soil conditions in the Swedish countryside that prevented the installation of sewage pipes or septic systems, and composting toilets emerged as a solution to this problem.
However, recent research at Envirolet has shown that there were much earlier models of composting toilets available. For example, in 1881 there was an advertisement in “the Ironmongers’ Catalogue” for a “Self-Acting Earth Closet” which according to the advertisement is “A substitute for the Water Closet, securing healthy homes, inoffensive drains, and garden fertility.” And an even earlier example is found in 1860 for the “Earth Commode” by the English vicar Reverend Henry Moule. Moule developed this composting toilet in an effort to combat the ravages of cholera in London at the time which threatened the life of many of his parishioners. Although some schools and military installations adopted these toilets, and they were also used in India as well, they never received the wide-spread adoption he had hoped for. There is, however, no doubt that in the mid-19th century there was experimentation with several different composting toilet models.
However, regardless of these early commercial composting toilet examples, it wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that composting toilets began to gain in popularity and use worldwide. The design of modern composting toilet systems originated in Scandinavia during the 1960s. During the 1970s, these designs started to be transported to Canada, Australia and the United States, which is when many modern composting toilet manufacturers got their start.
Some of the models developed during the 1960s and 1970s had issues with odor and ease of maintenance, and during the last decade or two there has been quite a few advances in the composting toilet industry. Composting toilets manufactured today are practically odorless, easy to use and several models are are now certified as completely safe and sanitary for home usage by health sanitation agencies. (Although just because a model has not received a formal certification does not mean that it is unsafe or unsanitary either).
There have been many changes in composting toilet designs over the past 150 years or so. Modern composting toilets are clean, easy to use and appear to be here to stay. If you are interested in learning more about the advantages and disadvantages of composting toilets, how composting toilets benefit the environment or answers to commonly asked questions about toilet composting systems, please visit the Toilet Composting Home Page.
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