Welcome to the official website for Composting Toilets Canada, a division of GreenLatrine Composting Toilets Ltd.
Modern composting toilets offer an environmentally friendly and odor-free method of dealing with human waste. There are many models available at different prices, each with advantages and disadvantages.
My first experience with composting toilets goes back about 20 years. After delaying it as long as possible, I had to make a trip to the dreaded outhouse in a Washington State park. However, I immediately noticed there was absolutely no odor. This was unlike every other “outhouse” I had used – where the smell is usually unbearable. A small plaque announced it was a composting toilet – producing natural fertilizer rather than toxic sewage. “Why didn’t someone think of this before?”, I asked myself.
Turns out they had. In Europe, composting toilets have been around for generations. Often called “waterless toilets”, they are installed in homes, offices and government buildings – wherever a toilet is needed. Contrary to a popular misconception, there is no unpleasant smell if installed properly. North Americans have been much slower to adopt this technology. However, fresh water is becoming a scarce resource in many areas. It seems wasteful to flush away gallons of pure drinking water every time we use a toilet. In 2005, Americans flushed away 123 billion gallons of water, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report.
Conventional sewage treatment is sometimes impractical or too expensive. Septic systems have many potential problems, not the least of which is disposal of the contents in an environmentally sound manner.
Composting toilets provide a viable solution in many instances.
A true composting toilet produces a safe, non-toxic final product that can be placed on ornamental plants. No expensive or energy intensive treatment is required, and no toxic sludge is produced. Best of all, once the unit is installed, it costs almost nothing to operate.
The exact process varies depending on the composting toilet. Generally you have a traditional looking toilet seat and bowl, which sits above a storage tank. This tank may be built-in as part of the toilet, or it could be installed below the bathroom in a basement or crawlspace.
French drain.
In a “urine separating composting toilet”, the liquid can be diverted to a small gravel pit (or “French drain), where it percolates safely away
Some of the newer composting toilets separate urine from solids. This is a big step forward. The relative lack of fluids in the storage tank helps eliminate odor. Complete and rapid composting occurs easily. Further dehydration over time allows the solid material to shrink dramatically (just like a compost pile). A small self-contained composting toilet can hold a surprising number of “uses”, meaning you do not have to empty it frequently.
Most of the older composting toilet designs hold the urine and solids in one tank. Water evaporates with the aid of electric heat, with the same odor free results – at least theoretically. In practice, you must be very, very careful not to introduce more liquid than the composting toilet can evaporate. Peat moss, coconut fiber, biological compost starter or other organic material is often added to the composting toilet to initiate and aid the composting process. In some toilets the solids are rotated, to speed up composting. With some simple home-made units you just cover fresh material with a layer of sawdust.
Ventilation is required with all composting toilets. Commercially available composting toilets use fans to dry out the contents and prevent odor. These fans are usually very quiet – 30 db to 40 db (which is between a whisper and a refrigerator in volume). They run all the time, 24/7. The fans pull air from the bathroom area, through the toilet and out a pipe to the outside. You never smell anything, even when sitting on the open toilet, because the fan is pulling air away from you. Any odor is exhausted, and it cannot waft up into the room.
When the solids bin fills up – and this can take between a few weeks and years depending on the composting toilet and how many people use it – you empty the already well-composted material into a suitable bin or container so it can “mature”. There should be little or no odor at this stage, other than a slight “earthy” smell.
The Thinktank Toilet is made in Canada
How long it must sit is a matter of some debate. It depends on the temperature. Below about 12 degrees Celsius or 55 degrees Fahrenheit composting will slow or stop. Many experts believe letting the compost sit for 12 weeks at room temperature should render pathogens harmless. Others recommend a more cautious 6 months. It is then safe to use the finished compost on flowers or other non-edible plants. If absolutely necessary, as a last resort, you can bag and seal the fully composted material and dispose in the trash.
Composting toilets require almost no maintenance and are impossible to plug. They are hygienic, inexpensive in the long run and environmentally benign. As fresh water becomes ever more scarce we are sure to see wide spread acceptance of this technology.
I hope you find what you are looking for on Composting Toilets Canada.
The new Thinktank Waterless Toilet (introduced in 2022) has numerous advantages
Composting Toilets Canada is a division of GreenLatrine Composting Toilets Ltd.
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I purchased a ThinkTank composting toilet in 2022 from Richard.
It was two years with absolutely no problems, then the linkage to the pail snapped. There were some youngsters visiting, so I assume they got rough with the mechanical hatch, or it just broke from wear.
Nevertheless, I contacted Richard and sent a photo of the part. He got back to me the same day to say it was redesigned with different material now. He couriered to me immediately and gave me the tracking number. It arrived 3 days later (across the country!), and was installed in a few minutes.
I would have been happy to pay for the part, but it wasn't even mentioned. Richard's integrity and work ethic is beyond reproach. It is a real pleasure to have a supplier that goes above and beyond. As we build our off-grid rental cabins, in the next few years, I will not have to consider any other company for waste management.
Have been using the Thinktank for 1 1/2 months. Installed without any problem. Excellent documentation. I used the vent pipes through the wall that allowed me to fit it in a tight place.
No odour at all. Even less than a regular toilet since any gas emitted when ‘doing your business’ gets pulled out by the vent fan.
Fast and easy to clean out. Excellent design. Everything well thought out. Exceeds expectations. Kudos.
We have bought two of the Separett villas from Richard. We have a family of 7 and have used one toilet for the past year and it has worked fabulously for us. No smell, easy to empty, durable. We ordered a second recently for our cabin. We had a warranty issue and it was dealt with immediately. I emailed him and he was back to me in minutes and had shipped a part out same day. He is always quick to answer questions. Very happy with the service and product!
Hello Richard
I couldn’t believe it, but the Separett just showed up on my doorstep! I am seriously impressed, not only that it got here this quickly, but that you also answered the phone – like you said you would - at 6PM my time on a Sunday evening and provided advice / recommendations.
I will say that the customer service so far has been exceptional! Thank you so much for restoring confidence that customer service can be this good. Encounters with retailers today tend to fall short of that. Never stop what you’re doing!
We’re going to be installing the Separett in a couple of weeks, so I’ll keep you posted on how that goes!
Thanks again
Lisa
Richard,
I have to commend you for referring me to another supplier. I appreciate businesses that are able to understand the consumer and admit they do not have the best solution and recommend another alternative.
My pleasure Mark. Our goal is your complete satisfaction, and if our products are not the perfect solution for your specific needs we will happily refer you elsewhere.,
I have worked with Richard for both my home Separett and for my "privy" toilet at our glamping sites. He is an expert in asking the right questions and giving you the best composting toilet for your specific needs. He is also attentive, responds quickly and gives you the best service possible. I recommend Composting Toilets Canada for your best compost toilet experience!
We purchased compost toilets for our new build, a one storey sustainable home in Shirley, BC. We are thrilled with them, after one year of use. They work so well, no odour ever, it takes less than 10 minutes to move a full bucket of waste from inside the house to the holding shed where we keep our bins. We divert urine to a greywater tank to be used later as fertilizer. Easy to clean, easy to use. We have installed two so far and even our friends who thought they wouldn't like using them have given them the thumbs up. I highly recommend the Separett compost toilet.
After having a few issues with our Nature's Head we thought this toilet didn't work for us and that we were on our own trying to fix it. We were wrong, we have received an incredible amount of understanding and support from Richard at Composting Toilets Canada. My partner and I installed our toilet on our own with the instructions given but we seem to have misunderstood some of the steps. It is an exciting adventure to begin using a composting toilet but it is not an immediate feat and it is not something that needs to be done on your own. Getting troubleshooting advice and helpful recommendations from Richard, as well as knowing we can still reach out with any concerns or questions we have is next level customer service. This company is run with a lot of integrity and it means a lot that the person selling this toilet also believes in it.
This toilet is a great way to protect resources by using less water and to be environmentally responsible for our own waste. Now we're looking forward to making the easy changes to our setup and to begin loving this toilet.
I was pretty skeptical about the value of this toilet. It seemed to offer more than anyone could deliver. However, after two months of use, I could not be happier. The installation was straight forward; the toilet worked as advertised; there is no smell and no problems. I have already recommended it to two friends and will continue to do so in the coming months. This is a great product!
We have been SO pleased with our Nature's Head toilet at our island cottage. We empty the urine bucket twice a week (just to be safe because overflow is not pleasant) and the fecal section about once a month or so. It is an easy system, and we are pleased to get rid of our septic, about which we were not sure and was going to cost a lot of money to have pumped out ($2500 per time). Fortunately, the other waste water goes into a grey well. It is just the two of us here, so we dump the urine down our old, but functioning, outhouse, and dump the feces plus peat moss into the compost. SO easy!! And the advice/assistance from Composting Toilets Canada has been absolutely wonderful. They really look after their customers and are SO patient with us and our stupid questions.
Richard is a star! Consumer service beyond what I am used to. On top on any questions we had and always polite. Thank you!
We have been using a large bucket in a plywood box with peat moss cover with great success for a few years. Sadly my family does not care for the mess, and as we use our off grid cabin during winter extremes (-25C or more) the peat would be a frozen mass for days upon arrival and made even more of a mess. I installed the Separett this past week and we used it for about 6 days - everyone likes it, no smell at all- easy to manage and gives everyone that home pot feeling. Seems well built and I trust that I will get great customer care as someone really did answer the phone when I called.
We are so pleased with our Nature's Head toilet purchase and especially with the service we received from Richard personally. He answered the phone himself every time as promised. We were on a tight time budget and Richard came through with shipping us our order the next day! We would highly recommend Richard and Composting Toilets Canada!
Although I ordered the wrong toilet, Richard corrected the situation immediately with warm service. He is great to deal with and I would recommend his company.
We ordered the Separett 9210 DC/AC after years of using composting systems of our own making. This is the system we chose for many reasons and are looking forward to 2 very important features. 1) the air vent, which is very imortant in both drying out the solid waste, and in keeping down odour 2) the closure that opens when you sit on the seat, also very important in keeping odours down. The toilet seems to be very well made and we look forward to using it and giving another review. The first toilet arrived in a very damaged box. Richard arranged to have a new one shipped out and sent return labels to send the damaged one back. Great customer service and I would recommend making your purchase of one of these systems from this company. Thank you
My initial experience was a pleasant surprise. I called late at night to inquire about the nature’s head toilet and was shocked when Richard answered the phone! He answered all of my questions and helped me out, despite my interrupting his rest. I am still awaiting the toilet, as it was on backorder, but am excited to update this review once it is received. Thanks again Richard! Looking forward to receiving our order.
We received our toilet within a week, later when we went to install it, we were missing a part, I called Richard and we received the part within two days.
Wow, I am so glad we decided to buy our toilet here and not at the big box store. The service is awesome and Richard knows his stuff. Thanks Richard
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I installed this unit on my Pearson 30 in Southwestern Ontario (Canada) as the original holding tank absolutely reeked. It freed up half of the storage area under the v-berth bed, and eliminated all nauseating odours. I love that unlike traditional marine toilets, no hand pumping is required after doing my business. I did find it hard at first to time opening the flap and positioning myself properly for a #2... but with careful attention, this becomes easier. I actually sold my Pearson 30 and have just purchased another Nature's Head to install on my partner's Hughes 38. There is no better toilet on the market for a boat or RV.
Richard has been super knowledgeable and helpful in helping me understand what I need for my situation. The Separrett is a very good compost toilet and guests in my home who use it are impressed. Thanks Richard!
We purchased our toilet from you. We built an outhouse to house it, and placed it on our vacation property in beautiful Celista, BC. We have a solar panel on the roof running the fan no problem. We divertedthe urine into a french drain. We have had 4 of us using it every weekend since June and it functions beautifully!!!! We are so very pleased with this product. We thought we would share some pictures, and will continue to brag about this toilet to anyone who will listen lol
Cheers
Claire & Harley
What are the dimensions of the think tank toilet
You can see dimensions on the product page here. Click the image with the dimensions.
The only thing it didn’t answer was whether or not The think tank can be vented through the floor?
Yes it can. Be careful not to hit a joist!
Hey ! Please send me more info , we will b building our off grid house next year . I think one of your Think Tanks is the answer.
Please email me. richard@compostingtoiletscanada.ca
I have just ordered your composting toilet for my cabin at Lake Mead,AZ. I am excited to get it because my traditional septic went bad. Makes sense to me. Thanks.
We are thinking of purchasing a thinktank toilet for our tiny home, but are unsure about disposing the waste and if it’s possible to add coconut coir in the thinktank to help break things down? We were planning on having a seperate composting location on the property for the waste but not sure if that’s a wise solution.
You definitely do not add coco coir or anything else to the Thinktank toilet. Urine is separated and solid waste is stored inside the Thinktank, where it loses some water content, becomes less offensive, and shrinks. It does not break down. And no urine diverting toilet fully breaks down the solid waste anyway. The contents still need to be removed and stored in a compost bin outside for a further length of time. You will need a least one compost bin, probably two. Please see my page on composting human waste.
Customer service from Richard is exceptional. Good Q and A section on the website. Richard patiently answers questions from paranoid customers like me, even when the answers are right there. This whole composting toilet thing is important. We are so used to flushing our output away, which is incredibly wasteful and not sustainable in places where water is scarce. So it’s a learning curve but crucial for our planet. Thanks so much.
I’m looking for a composting toilet that doesn’t need any power to operate and would be suitable for 3-season use by 2 to 4 people. Any suggestions?
You will need some kind of power to operate the fan. There is stinky air in the toilet, and it needs to go outside. Toilets that don’t have fans require you to bury the waste under a significant amount of organic material such as sawdust, and hope it doesn’t stink. It’s a poor solution. Try to get a 12 volt deep cycle battery, and a way to keep it charged – like a solar panel. Then you can use a toilet with a fan. This is a far better solution. I would suggest the Thinktank toilet.
I’ve had a Separette Villa at my cottage for a year now and wow, it is brilliant! No odor, no fuss, and so easy and inoffensive to empty. I have an old outhouse on my property and I drop the bags in there and cover them with some sawdust. It’s a heck of a great way to deal with waste.
Good solution. Same for the Thinktank toilet.
How does this toilet’s exhaust fan plug into an outlet? No cord and plug in is shown on the video.
There is a plug at the back. It comes with wires for a 12 volt connection, plus a free wall transformer so you can plug in to a wall outlet if available.
Hello would your Thinktank be suitable in our home, we are two. It would be to replace a regular toilet, which I think wastes water and a good manure that our garden could well use. We are located in Toronto.
Thanks, Paul-Antoine.
Yes. Call me to discuss.
Please check local city ordinances!!! Richard has a lot of information on this topic….
We (a major educational institution on Vancouver Island) purchased the Think Tank from Richard nearly two years ago for our remote outpost research facility off the south coast. Accommodating students, professional researchers and visitors from around the world, I have shown many that simplicity and functionality can be obtained in a waterless toilet with great success! No one has complained whatsoever, and any concerns I have had have been readily addressed by the great customer service Richard provides. In fact, I am about to order another one for the main house on the island right away! I have had very little success (or desire to use again) other products that are either challenging to maintain, smelly, “not as advertised” or simply substandard comparatively. Remember, what might be great for a camper van is not so great for group living…and the Think Tank checked off all the boxes for our needs. Thanks Richard for making life a whole lot more comfortable for all users, especially those skeptical who have never seen or used one!
3 questions: 1) how come there are no dimensions in your descriptions?
2) why hasn’t it been reviewed like other composting toilets?
3) can I collect my urine somehow off the valve? (I religiously use it)
I am in Quebec, so if I understand properly this toilet is 1600$ no shipping costs and I can e-transfer you a payment
In answer to your 3 questions…
1) Very detailed dimensions are included on the product page.
2) There are many reviews for the product, including 16 reviews on the product page. The Thinktank was introduced 18 months ago, so there may be more reviews for other products that have been around longer.
3) You can run the urine drain line to a tank, as long as the drain line sloes downward along its entire length.
It is currently on sale. Shipping is free. I have to charge 5% GST. Yes you can etransfer. But you need to phone me first.
We have bought two of the separett villas from Richard. We have a family of 7 and have used one toilet for the past year and it has worked fabulously for us. No smell, easy to empty, durable. We ordered a second recently for our cabin. We had a warranty issue and it was dealt with immediately. I emailed him and he was back to me in minutes and had shipped a part out same day. He is always quick to answer questions. Very happy with the service and product!
We have a loft above our garage. Is something like this composting toilet even possible? Would really like to knew our options.
Waterless and composting toilets are perfectly suited to a loft above a garage. I’d probably choose one with a urine drain line, rather than worry about emptying a pee bottle. A urine drain line would lead down and into the ground beside the building. You will also need to connect a vent pipe, and possible an air intake, to the outside. The Thinktank is probably your best option. I’m happy to discuss the details of your installation if you decide to go forward.
We have a bunny above our garage we are looking for a compost toilet and yours sounds very interesting we would like to run a pipe into our out house for the urine if that is possible. Would like to know the cost of the product it is something that would not be used often and it is in a small bathroom in the bunks so we don’t want the smell also we would have to know where we could buy the coconut mulch
Also is this Canadian made could you give us some feed back please.
You don’t need the coco coir with the Thinktank. It is Canadian made.
We have purchased a Villa 9210 and really enjoy it. What ever is said on the home page is accurateand customer service from Richard is great. We have a small cabin in Ontario that we heat only on weekends and this works great. No power, no problem, we have it running off a rv battery. I was worried about the noise, but you can hardly here the noise and our bedroom is right beside. Great product.
Hi there, I tried to order the Separett compost toilet but the website wouldn’t let me enter my visa number. Then I realized that you are out of stock until the end of September. Please let me know when they are in so that I can order one ASAP. Many thanks.
We are set up and ready to go…..in the product literature, you mention using a small solar panel and a 12 volt deep cycle battery. I was thinking that a single 1000 watt panel would be more than enough for a toilet located on the Southern Gulf Islands.
I imagine you have talked to a lot of people regarding solar sizing…..I am not trying to pin you down, just want your best guess.
Most are using a 50 watt panel, not 1000 watt. A 30 amp deep cycle battery is sufficient.
I just got the phone and placed my order for a toilet. Believe it or not, not only did I order it over the phone instead of by internet, I actually spoke to Richard himself who explained everything and took the order himself. That was great!!!
Looking forward to receiving the order and will update my comment to let everyone know about my thoughts on the toilet.
Cheers!
I am planning to put a compositing toilet in my Yurt. The Yurt is located in the Southern Gulf Islands of BC. Usage is limited to a few people during the summer. Does this unit require electricity to run a fan for ventilation? Or does it need to be vented? I was thinking of drilling a hole through the floor of the yurt for effluent to go down too. Are there any units which have external holding tanks below the floor level of the actual toilet?
Yes, you need ventilation and a fan to prevent odour. There is no effluent. Please study my site, watch the videos, and you will get a much better idea of how these work. Then we can talk.
We have a cabin on an island in a relatively remote area. We come and go throughout the seasons. I am wondering how a composting toilet could function when there is no heat and electricity for months, then for about two weeks during the winter, there would be continuous usage. Also during the warmer months, how does it function with only occasional use, and by that I mean two weeks of use, two weeks of inactivity… When we leave the cottage, we always turn the power off. Comments?
That will be no problem at all. These toilets are perfect for what you describe. Heat is not needed. Occasional use is also fine. You can turn the power off. If the power is off and the toilet has not been emptied, you may or may not return to a slight odor in the bathroom. This will quickly disappear when you turn the fan back on.
How do you dispose of the bags of solid waste? Do you need to add anything to it?
You open the toilet, put the lid on the waste container, and carry it outside where you dump the contents into a compost bin. Nothing is added to the waste inside the toilet, but you will need to add a variety of material to the compost bin outside. Dry grass, leaves, vegetable matter, sawdust, shredded paper, shredded cardboard etc. are all good choices. It is very helpful to learn a bit about composting. It’s not difficult, but a little knowledge is required. You can also see my page on how to compost human waste.
Some people add a little cover material prior to opening and emptying the toilet. Wood pellets are a good choice. So is cat litter. But this is completely optional.
Is there any health regulations or compliance issues that need to be followed to pass Ontario government standards?
If you are building a new home then yes. Typically you will have to seek special permission and meet their requirements for waste management. It is not an automatic approval, and can be frustrating because their code book is 20 years out of date on this issue. If you are not building new then usually you do not need a permit. Still, you must be very careful to follow all instructions on managing your waste.
We were very happy with Richard’s competence and promptness in dealing with our order. The web site is very informative and Richard is knowledgeable and helpful in making product decisions. We were grateful to deal with a human! Thanks.
Denise
I have had the Composting Toilet for over a year now in my 500 square foot home and am very happy with it! Richard was available for questions prior to purchase and offered to stay on the phone for the installation (that was not necessary though). This toilet has functioned as promised, no odor, easy empty. This was out of my field of knowledge so the purchase was a leap of faith. Richard’s easy access by phone or email and his clear answers helped me decide. Happy with the toilet and very grateful for Richard’s service. Thank you!
How do you deal with recently deposited un-composted waste when emptying the bin?
It just goes into a sealed but ventilated compost bin located outside, with the rest of the material. You can add lime if you want, to speed up the process. It should be ready for non-edible plants in 120 days (with lime added, 6 months at summer temperatures without).
Hi Richard,
Victoria Day weekend, long drive, raining hard, unload car, unload boat, open up, happy to see the Thinktank, plug in fan, everything works ! Thanks for your encouragement last season!
Very best!