In contrast to jenkins thermophilic composting system which ill discuss in thursdays post, these cool composting systems relied on time to kill off any pathogens in the humanure. This is a humanure toilet for more information, including video clips, visit or read the humanure handbook, available free online or via any book store. Ownerbuilt composting toilets are in widespread use throughout the world since many people do not have the financial resources required to purchase commercially produced toilets. Jenkins maintains a business in north western pennsylvania joseph jenkins, inc. Tiny cabin is off grid luxury on a budget yep, a humanure composting toilet in a trailer wagon. Thermophilic composting is the fourth way to deal with.
If there was any book id recommend, even to someone that isnt interested in environmental issues, its humanure handbook. Humanure handbook a guide to composting human manure by. It totally makes sense and is doable when you include oneself in the foodlife cycle. How could a book about composting your bowel movements be important. As long as you leave the composting excrement for long enough using this method, the resulting humanure should be generally safe to use on your food crops. The compost produced in the aboveillustrated method has all been used to grow food for a family a process that is the result of 28 years of continuous experience by the author of the humanure handbook. Oct 23, 2017 humanure human manure is human fecal material and urine recycled for agricultural purposes via thermophilic composting. Sep 01, 2005 the 1st edition of humanure was published in 1994 with a print run of 660 copies, which the author fully expected would last the rest of his life.
I would never let the overflow of a humanure compost go directly to food. Im having problems with getting my humanure pile over 90 degrees. Jenkins argues that human compost can be just as healthy as horse, chicken or any other animal manure once properly exposed to the breakdown process of thermophilic composting. Cool composting of humanure before the humanure handbook hit the stage, most of the systems in practice were cool composting toilets. Food materials are also used as a compost feedstock, if available. Something of a cult classic, the book is now in its third edition and has been translated into more than 12 languages. Smaller families or individuals may need a smaller bin size. Effects of the feeding ratio of food waste on fedbatch.
Books about composting this list can include books about any legitimate form of composting, and can also include books that only have a chapter or section on composting. My nineyearold grandson could do it with a little supervision in the beginning of course. Humanure was the inevitable result of jenkins\ two decades of practical experience with composting and organic gardening paired with extensive research gleaned from scientific journals and texts. Humanure, simply put, is the composted excrement produced by humans. The composting process produces no waste, no pollutants and no toxic byproducts. The association of american plant food control officials aapfco approved the new definition for compost because it em. I have read the humanure handbook by joseph jenkins, and have been doing this type of composting for about five months. The compost failure at the 15% treatment was mainly ascribed to excessive moisture. The award winning humanure handbook a guide to composting human manure, by joseph jenkins is sold at the humanure store, a division of joseph jenkins inc. Human manure could be a major source of soil fertility if properly recycled. A laboratory reactor was designed to study the effects of operating parameters air suction rate, seeding and agitation on the composting process of a synthetic food waste made of dog food. He uses a compost thermometer to ensure that it gets hot enough and he never stirs it because its called thermophilic composting. The humanure handbook was an accidental literary phenomenon. If youre an avid composter, theres nothing like this on the market.
This book gives compelling and detailed testimony as to why humanure should be constructively recycled. Compost can be used for human food production, house plants, gardens, etc. Before the humanure handbook hit the stage, most of the systems in practice were cool composting toilets. Time and time again, jenkins drives home the point. Thermophilic composting is the practice of breaking down biological waste with thermophilic heatloving bacteria. Humanure the perfect shtf sanitation system survival. It tends to remain localized in the upper portion of a backyard compost bin where the fresh material is being added. Jenkins is a great writer with a passion and knowledge of nature and ecology is.
The writer warns that most gardeners do not have thermophilic compost. Joe jenkins has written a book for the really passionate doityourself composting enthusiast. There are some flaws here and there rants that will turn 80% of the audience off and scattered trains of thought but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Humanure handbook the permaculture research institute. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the humanure handbook. However, composting can also take place as a multistep, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air, and carbon and nitrogenrich materials. Humanure is a feedstock in making compost, so the finished product is compost, not aged humanure, or aged banana peels, or aged dead animals, or whatever else went into the compost. If you cant flush it or dont want to, what can you do with it. To cultivate heatloving microorganisms as part of the compost process this method, known as thermophilic composting, creates a hightemperature environment to ensure the destruction of all diseasecausing organisms. Fastinated with the topic of humanure composting, jenkins decided to convert the books language into a popular format and selfpublish the thesis as a book. Howto manage humanure composting our green tips project just keeps on rolling forward.
He found these bacteria in soil, dust, excrement, sewage, and river mud. Human excrement can be a major source of environmental pollution around the world. Its all about how the composting is done and its certainly not rocket science. This is not only documented in many composting books including. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I havent figured out how to respond to anyone on this forum yet, so im posting a new message instead.
From experience, i would recommend emptying the receptacle of humanure every day or two which reduces odors even further and makes deposits into the compost pile even. Fedbatch composting was achieved with feeding ratios of 5% and 10% but not 15%. Despite all the books on manure and how to use it, human manure composting is not covered elsewhere, making the humanure handbook a fine reference for any who would learn these basics. A guide to composting human manure by jenkins, joseph c.
Some toilet systems produce thermophilic hot compost. Do not add food scraps to the toilet contents add them to the com post bin. I plan on using it to make a humanure compost pile and the love a loo in my own bathroom. His book, the humanure handbook a guide to composting human manure is filled with research and bibliographies that teach us step by step, what we should really be doing with our sewage, rather than discharging it into the toilet. They tend to be lowtemperature composting toilets, although they can conceivably be thermophilic toilet systems if properly managed. Most commercial and homemade composting toilets are lowtemperature composting toilets, sometimes called mouldering toilets. The humanure handbook a guide to composting human manure. The term was first used in 1994 in a book by joseph jenkins that advocates the use of this organic soil amendment. In this film we take a tour of greg and lisas composting toilet setup and see how theyve been safely composting and using their humanure on their. It is composting human waste in a safe, effective way. The book has been sold worldwide and published in foreign. Please address all retail and wholesale book orders to our distributor. Have a dedicated shovel for the humanure compost pile and store it in a way that young children, or anyone who may not realize that its been used for human waste, will not come into contact with the dirty end of it.
The phenomenon of compost includes an incredible amount of shrinkage. The thermophilic conditions were obtained due to bacterial selfheating. Thermophilic microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, can create an environment in the compost which destroys disease organisms that can exist in humanure, converting humanure into a friendly, pleasantsmelling, humus safe for food gardens. You should collect food scraps in a separate compost container and deposit. Those ingredients are humanure and urine, which are quite likely to make ones compost thermophilic. This approach can involve different methods of collection, and either mechanized or manual composting, but the principles of thermophilic. Humanure was the inevitable result of jenkins two decades of practical experience with composting and organic gardening paired with extensive research gleaned from scientific journals and texts. In contrast to the more widely used cool humanure composting systems, the author of the humanure handbook recommends thermophilic composting. Photos of the authors garden below illustrate the benefit of fertile soil. Options for collecting humanure in your bathroom range from rustic, such as a 5gallon bucket with a snapon toilet seat available at hunting and camping stores, to turnkey, such as the sunmar line of selfcontained composting toilets available online and from home improvement stores.
Thermophillic bacteria, composting stages, and the sanitization of. The humanure, livestock manure, and food scraps put into a compost pile are eaten by microscopic organisms, insects, fungi, or worms or all of them at once. Thermophilic microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, can create an environment in the compost which destroys disease organisms that can exist in humanure, converting humanure into a friendly, pleasantsmelling humus safe for food gardens. If in doubt, use the finished compost for horticultural purposes.
A composting thermometer is used to check the temperature of the humanure. After the thermophilic heating period, the humanure will appear to have been digested, but the coarser organic material will not. Humanure 143 forest ln, grove city, pennsylvania 16127 rated 4. Successful composting, while not rocket science, requires attention, devotion and considerable knowledge of the process. The humanure handbook is a great how to and more importantly whyto guide to composting human manure. Humanure contains valuable soil nutrients that enhance plant growth. They tend to be lowtemperature composting toilets, although they can conceivably be thermophilic toilet systems if. After the composting helpers digest the human waste, it begins to turn into a soil like matter that is then mixed with other organic materials, like straw, grass, or sawdust, or leaves.
Always begin using the toilet with a clean layer of cover material in the bottom of the receptacle, sev eral inches deep. The most basic way to compost humanure is simply to collect it in a toilet receptacle and add it to a compost pile. The receptacle is rinsed, scrubbed with a long handled toilet brush and a little dish soap, then the wash water is poured onto the compost pile. Written by a humanure composting practitioner and organic gardener. After the thermophilic heating period, the humanure will appear to have been. It is explained in the book, which can be downloaded for free. Humanure human manure is defined as human fecal material and urine recycled for agricultural purposes via thermophilic composting. The author draws from 40 years of research, experience, and travel, to expand and clarify your knowledge and understanding of. Yes, the 4th edition of the humanure handbook came out last may. Books about composting 112 books goodreads share book. The thermophilic composting of humanure is not a threat to society, it produces no pollution, does not threaten the health of humans, nor contaminate the groundwater or environment. The humanure handbook by joseph jenkins books forum at.
Because the term humanure has no authoritative definition it is subject to various uses. A guide to composting human manure, third edition at. The essetial take away i got from this book is that if you and the people using your composting toilet system are in good health, there is little to worry about, and if you appropriately manage the collection and generate thermophilic composting piles, humanure can be safely and effectively used to produce food. Thermophilic heat loving microorganisms use the poo and cover material to break down the humanure into rich humus. The humanure handbook is another book that epitomizes selfpublishing. If you are an american with a disability we offer a toll free disability services phone line at 8004385346 during regular business hours and one of our knowledgeable customer service representatives will help you navigate through our website, conduct advanced searches, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products we. Most gardeners also leave critical ingredients out of their compost, thanks to the fearmongering of the illinformed. The term humanure is used by compost enthusiasts in the united states but not widely used elsewhere. If the temperature of the compost is monitored and consistent thermophilic hot conditions are observed, the finished compost may be used for food production. Yep, a humanure composting toilet in a trailer wagon. Learn how to safely recycle human excrement humanure without chemicals, technology or environmental pollution. The number of people who produce backyard compost instead of sewage is so minimal, that few, if any, laws have been enacted to regulate the practice. First off, i dont know what aged humanure would be. Now, 22 years later, the book has sold over 60,000 copies in at least 59 countries worldwide and has been published in numerous foreign editions on four continents.
This is the 4th edition of a selfpublished book that no respectable publisher would touch with a. Joe jenkins began writing the book as a masters thesis while attending slippery rock universitys master of science in sustainable systems program in pennsylvania in the early 90s. Humanure wont heat up composting toilet forum at permies. Jenkins describes fecophobia as the belief that humanure is unsafe for agricultural use. It will hold nine more months worth of humanure and food materials, hay, weeds, leaves, grass clippings, etc. Its clear, informative, scientific, interesting and at times even humorous. I can confidently say this book is at the level of silent spring, and possibly higher ranking on my list than rubbish. A compost thermometer is kept in the pile to monitor its microbial activity. The list is meant to be a reference for a beginning or avid composter. Any help on getting my pile up to that thermophilic temp would be great. Greater public awareness, and acceptance, of humanure composting is due in no small part. A guide to composting human manure kindle edition by jenkins, joseph. Humanure human manure is the human fecal material and urine that is recycle for agricultural purposes via thermophilic composting.
The book is loaded with graphs and factoids about various pathogens and the way they are treated in thermophilic composting. Many of us gardeners use our own urine for composting so why wouldnt it be the same for our solids. Thermophilic bacteria were first isolated in 1879 by miquel, who found bacteria capable of developing at 720c 1620f. Sep 18, 2008 written by a humanure composting practitioner and organic gardener with over 30 years experience, this third edition provides detailed scientific information on how humanure can be hygienically recycled, without fancy technological dodads, a large bank account, toxic chemicals, or environmental pollution. Make amazing compost with a composting toilet closing. Compost toilet condensed instruction manual humanure handbook. Thermophilic composting is distinct from vermicomposting which uses worms thermophilic compost heaps must be quite large, 1m 3 or larger grass cuttings, wood chips and sawdust should be put into thermophilic compost heaps. A complete comprehension of the thermophilic composting method. Persons who have doubts about the hygienic safety of their finished humanure compost are urged to either use the compost for non food crops or orchards, or have it tested at a lab before using on food crops. The author was originally inspired to start her own humanure composting experiment after she read joe jenkins humanure handbook incidentally, a book i myself own and plan to write more about here but rather than going the thermophilic composting route, she opted for vermicomposting.
Welcome to the humanure store, your source for the humanure handbook, the balance point book, and other compost related items. Joe jenkins and the humanure handbook composting forum at. Humanure handbook, 3rd edition pdf download outhouse to garden complete recycling by jason wiskerchen. At the simplest level, the process of composting requires making a heap of wet organic matter also called green waste, such as leaves, grass, and food scraps, and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period of months. The continuous thermophilic compost method is the most practical for biodigesting a steady input of organic material, requiring very little labor and producing very little odor. Dont touch the humanure as you transfer it from the collection bin to the compost pile.
Joe jenkins and the humanure handbook composting forum at permies. Humanure human manure is human fecal material and urine recycled for agricultural purposes via thermophilic composting. To learn more about it, get the humanure handbook before you try your hand at composting humanure. This book really opened my eyes to the benefits of closing the cycle and using our composted excrement to enrich the soil. On the other hand, one may have the need to compost humanure from a population with known disease problems. The humanure system is the simplest form of compost toilet, specifically designed to promote hot composting of human feces and urine, and organic cover materials e. Thermophilic composting of humanure can be carried out century after century, millennium after millennium, with no stress on our ecosystems, no unnecessary consumption of resources and. The continuous thermophilic compost method is the most practical for. A guide to composting human manure from the worlds largest community of readers.