Consulting Services

Humanure Compost Toilet Systems

We provide consulting services regarding humanure compost toilet system alternatives. Humanure compost toilet systems are based upon the recycling of human manure and urine by combining these materials with a carbon based "cover material" such as sawdust or other materials and allowing the toilet materials to be converted passively (i.e. with minimal human involvement) into humus via micro and macro organisms in a thermophilic composting process. Emphasis is placed upon simple, low-cost systems that are practical to specific localities. How a humanure toilet system works. Watch some videos.

Mongolia Project:

Joseph Jenkins, Inc. provided consulting services for the country of Mongolia via PADCO, in Washington DC in 2006. The initial four week project began in late February and involved a Phase One feasibility study to ascertain the practicality of establishing humanure toilets in specific Mongolian urban areas. In Ulaanbaatar, for example, the capital city of Mongolia, there are approximately 600,000 people defecating in pit latrines. This is not only unpleasant, but it is threatening the water table that lies under the city and from which the city's drinking water is drawn. In collaboration with PADCO and with the Urban Development Resource Center (UDRC), an NGO in Ulaanbaatar, we explored the possibility of establishing humanure toilets in a least two cities: Ulaanbaatar and Erdenet.

The 2nd phase of the project took place in May of 2006. when we constructed 12 humanure compost toilets using materials we managed to acquire in the streets of Ulaanbaatar. The toilets cost a little under $6.00 U.S. in labor and materials, including one 18 liter plastic receptacle for each toilet.

We formed two volunteer groups of six families each. One group was in Ulaanbaatar and the other in Erdenet. Each member of our "pilot project" received one of the toilets. Each volunteer also received approximately three hours of training. The training included viewing a 50 minute DVD, which we produced in the Mongolian language, that showed a working humanure toilet system. They were also presented with a copy of an abbreviated humanure toilet instruction manual which each group reviewed together with a workshop facilitator. Here is the Instruction Manual in Mongolian (PDF download).

The volunteers then had to build their own compost bins. We started by building a demonstration bin in the Ulaanbaatar area. We took photographs of the bin construction and showed them to the Erdenet group a day or two later. They were then able to build their own compost bins with no further instruction.

Our toilets were constructed roughly according to the instructions from the Humanure Handbook, which are posted on the web. We had to use 18 liter toilet receptacles because that's all we could find (20 liter capacity is preferred). It was up to the volunteers to get cover materials, although we provided those in Ulaanbaatar each with a large feedsack of sawdust to get started. We also provided three bales of straw for the demonstration compost bin - one bale for the "biological sponge" and two for cover material.

The results of this project were mixed. We were only funded for four weeks, which gave us enough time to do a feasibility study and to set up two pilot project groups with toilets, cover material and compost bins. However, there was no follow up. The people needed guidance, but they didn't have any. Our conclusion is that the sanitation system would work best if it were coordinated by a group in Mongolia who collected and composted the toilet material as well as provided the cover material.

Her are some photos from the project:

WATCH HUMANURE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

Random scenes from Mongolia:

Download the Mongolian Font.

Download the Humanure Instruction Manual in the Mongolian language.

Go to our Foreign Language page: Mongolia

Haiti Project:

DOWNLOAD THE HAITI PAPER WRITTEN BY JOSEPH JENKINS, 9/2011

In 2010, after the devastating earthquake that struck Port au Prince, we began exploring options for establishing humanure sanitation systems in the "tent cities" that sprung up and were housing a million people. This project is ongoing. We are working with the people at OurSoil.org, as well as with Patricia Arquette and the GiveLove Foundation. We will report more as time allows. Some photos and video clips follow:

WATCH HUMANURE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

Ecological Sanitation in Haiti, by GiveLove.org, 2010 and 2011:

Joseph Jenkins at the US Compost Council 2011 Conference, Santa Clara, CA:

Haiti Compost Sanitation Training Videos:

WATCH HUMANURE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

WATCH HUMANURE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE