Finally, after 5 long months, I managed to complete constructing an arborloo composting toilet on the farm. Transacting a number two at the farm has always been a problem. When nature calls, all that was to be done was to find a good spot, dig, deposit, and bury. It was easy, quick but not exactly the most ideal method.
I decided to go with an arborloo, a type of dry toilet latrine. The location I’ve selected is between two durian trees. How it basically works is that once the pit is almost filled up, a tree would be planted in it during the rainy season for optimal growth. The rich soil in the pit would help fertilise and drive the growth of the newly planted tree.
I’ve dug a square hole about 1.3 cubic metres. The soil that was dug up would be dumped around the hole surrounding it like a “ring”. Concrete test blocks were then used to reinforce the edge of the hole to prevent it from collapsing. A very important piece of detail is that the concrete test blocks have to be placed on the ground first before digging commences so as to minimise disturbance to the soil structure under which the test blocks sit. This helps strengthen the pit wall.
The dug up earth would sit outside these blocks, fashioned into a mound to prevent water from entering the pit. Once the pit is full and decommissioned, the soil would be pushed back into the hole. The concrete test blocks also serve as a foundation for the squatting wooden platform.
Digging the hole was a monumental task for me. I could only use a hoe during the initial stage. As I got deeper, it got more difficult to manoeuvre, reducing my options to just a small hand spade, chisel and a bucket to remove earth. A shovel was not possible due to the restricted motion of shovelling, especially towards the deep end. I got to work in stages by digging many small holes whose walls serve as a weakened point for me to pry open the earth around it with a chisel.
As there were no workers at the farm, I abandoned this project back in mid Sep 2019 as soon as I completed digging it. I covered the hole with a canvas and only completed the wooden platform in mid Oct 2019. By then, I was too busy over the rainy season during which I focused on planting. So it wasn’t until mid Feb 2020 that I completed the structure to afford privacy.
Instead of using nails to fastened the timber, I just lashed together the support frame using synthetic ropes. To save on materials and to even simplify it further, I went with a tepee design. I used some old advertisement canvas as my covering to prevent rain water from entering the pit. The rear portion of the arborloo is loosely put together with some wood and covered with an asbestos roof cover.
To use the toilet, simply make a deposit before adding a sprinkle of wood ash and/or leaves. Any high carbon material would be great to help suppress smell and absorb moisture. Paddy husk or saw dust would be a great material to use. However, at the moment, I should just be using crunched up leaves and wood ash. Toilet paper goes in as well. A little urine is fine; in fact I’m considering diverting urine externally to maintain a urine-free setup if the strictest sense of a dry toilet is to be adhered to. However, I have no time for that and will try with some urine first for now.
Since there will be lots of movement and plans drawn up for the farm, I can’t be relying on a permanent toilet design at least for the moment. Hence, a temporary toilet like the arborloo makes the most sense. After all, in about a year or two depending on the frequency of usage, I could just plant a fruit tree and dismantle the entire structure very easily.
Thus, in accordance to the principles of permaculture, human excrement is treated as a resource rather than waste. As my plans for the farm are more firmly drawn up, a permanent toilet (I’m seriously considering a Vermicomposting toilet!) can later be constructed elsewhere. Until then, an arborloo would be a good conversation piece or subject matter for presentation to visitors at the farm.
