An incinerating toilet is a type of dry toilet that burns human faeces instead of flushing them away with water, like a flush toilet does. Incinerating toilets may be powered by electric, gas, dried faeces or other energy sources.
They are used in environments where human waste cannot be otherwise dumped, or where normal toilets are too expensive or cumbersome to install. Such toilets gather excrement in a holding tank and then incinerate it, reducing it to pathogen-free ash. Some will also incinerate grey and black water created from showers and sinks.
Incinerating toilets can also be waterless. Instead of breaking down waste biologically, these toilets torch it. They send the waste to an incinerator, where it’s burned to sterile ash.
The toilet sits in your bathroom and has an electric exhaust pipe that exits through your roof. To run, it needs batteries or can be plugged into a wall outlet. You use the toilet normally, toilet paper and all. But before you flush, you must close the lid, for reasons that will soon be clear. Next, you decide whether to press the “urine” or “[solid] waste” button on the control panel.
Composting toilets is another option which use nature’s composting process to break waste down into a nutrient-rich soil. Incinerating toilets use electric heat to burn waste into a small amount of bacteria-free ash. Both systems are virtually odour-free and operate with little or no water, making them ideal for unheated areas susceptible to freezing.
Because they save water, both composting and incinerating toilets are considered environmentally friendly. That being said, if environmental impact is a prime factor in your decision, you’ll probably find a composting toilet more appealing. Not only do incinerating toilets require electricity and paper bowl liners, but they also do not produce compost to keep natural waste circulating through the environment. Plus, composting toilets can process organic kitchen waste, which can reduce your everyday garbage.
Composting toilets are great if you have a garden, because you can reuse the nutrient-rich solid waste, as well as the liquid waste, to fertilize flowers, trees and shrubs. Ash from incinerating toilets isn’t reusable, but can be tossed in your trash. Incinerating toilets require more frequent emptying than composting toilets.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incinerating_toilet
- https://cabinlife.com/articles/article/composting-vs-incinerating-toilets
- https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/waterless-toilet2.htm
By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.
Happy to see Reviews, Additions, Suggestions and Comments, further.
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