Haitian Compost Loo todo

On Saturday afternoon, Wenderlynn and I found ourselves in some woods,
near Borehamwood, gathering leaves into a duvet cover, in the rain, and I
wasn't even sure exactly why.

Considering we had taken the best part of an hour to drive to Well End
Permaculture Centre, all on the promise of looking at a toilet, it was
an unusual start to the afternoon.

After meeting huddled figures in the damp car park, we were greeted by
Richard Higgins, whose revolutionary compost toilet was the reason we
were here, and promptly led into the woods. The duvet cover only added
to the intrigue and mystery of Alex's "Haitian Compost Loo todo". It
probably wasn't such a mystery to the others who were there to visit the
site of Richard Higgins' groundbreaking compost toilet, but I'll be
honest, I hadn't done even the most cursory bit of research into what it
was exactly that we were going to see.

After collecting the leaves (used in the composting process), we
continued through the trees, and Richard showed us the manure that he
has been getting from a local stables. Across a stream, through two
gates, and a few more winding trails later, we arrived at the site.

I was anticipating some sort of portaloo arrangement, but soon realised
that this compost toilet is all about the compost, rather than the loo.
His remarkable process can turn human waste into clean, usable compost
in just 14 days, with no smell or waste to be disposed of. Waste goes
in, and out comes compost a couple of weeks later.

Richard talked us through this fascinating process of composting and
illustrated how valuable this system can be, be it in helping after
disasters, or to improve sanitation in developing countries, or indeed
anywhere in the world where people are looking for a more sustainable
way of dealing with human waste. He then gave us a tour of his
permaculture project, showing us the ways he mulches, plants, deals with
weeds, and much more.

Richard is a very knowledgeable and likeable guy; he spoke very
comfortably and readily answered all questions aimed at him with genuine
passion and expertise.

As to exactly what he said, especially about this unique method of
composting, that is best heard in his own words, so please watch the
video Wenderlynn took on the day to fully appreciate the work that
Richard is doing.

Many thanks to Alex for arranging the visit, and of course to Richard Higgins, for his time and knowledge.

Click here to watch the video: Haitian Compost Loo todo