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The waterless dehydrating composting toilet is suitable if no connection to septic or town sewerage is available. It’s easy to manage with urine being separated off while solids are dehydrated and can be emptied into the garden.
People downsize the home they live in for many reasons – financial, environmental, philosophical, because the children have left home, or just to have a lock-up-and-leave lifestyle.
Shedding some possessions is not all it takes to downsize into a smaller or even tiny home. It is also helpful to be able to reduce the size of the infrastructure and that’s where technology comes in.
Things like washing machine/dryers combined into one, smaller unit are an example.
Steve Brackebush, owner of Eco Pod Concepts in Dairy Flat, says his company uses these low energy appliances in their pods, fitting them into the end of a kitchen unit for a compact and practical option.
The pods themselves can be combined to create a modular home, or used individually in a wide range of situations.
Steve says the main reason people are looking for different technologies in Eco Pod homes is to reduce their environmental footprint. Many of his customers live off-grid or want to live in a transportable home.
Among the alternative technologies that Eco Pod has found useful are waterless toilets, which dehydrate or compost human waste.
Described on the Smarter Homes website as “the long drop of the 21st Century”, a waterless toilet is an alternative to a septic tank or a conventional toilet if you are not connected to a mains sewer.
Dehydrating toilets run off a battery. A tiny fan dehydrates the solids. Steve says it’s a quick process – with some models, you end up with half a cup of solids after three weeks of use, which you can put out in the garden.
Composting toilets have one or two containers beneath the toilet where waste is held until it has decomposed and can be used as compost.
Human waste can also be incinerated. Steve says in locations where there are multiple Pods, such as an off the grid campground, you can connect all the toilets to an incinerator unit that sits outside the building.
Solar power and low energy electric options are also becoming more affordable and sought-after.
Steve says smart wiring new builds so that the dwelling has keyless entry and you can pre-set your heating via your smartphone, has become an easy and affordable option.
