The Scoop on Poop: Safely Capturing and Recycling the Nutrients in Greywater, Humanure, and Urine by Dan Chiras

Author:Dan Chiras [Chiras, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781550925838
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Published: 2016-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

Fig. 6-1: Common Household Plumbing. This illustration shows how drains and vent pipes from common household fixtures — sinks, showers, and toilets — are installed. Note that in a typical home, blackwater and greywater are combined.

As noted in previous chapters, water from composting toilets (blackwater) contains a variety of valuable plant nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It also contains organic matter that enriches garden and agricultural soils, assisting us in growing our own food more sustainably. In contrast, greywater is rather nutrient poor. Even so, its nutrients can be captured and put to use. It is also a great source of water that can be used to irrigate all sorts of plants. I have used greywater in my home in Colorado to water plants in my indoor planters as well as my vegetable garden since 1996 (Figure 6-3). I have even used it to water trees that I planted around my home.

A Word on Art Ludwig

Throughout this chapter, you’ll hear a lot about Art Ludwig (Figure 6-2). Inarguably, Art’s the pre-eminent international expert on greywater. His books, DVDs, and website contain a wealth of valuable information on designing and operating greywater systems. Art’s available for consultation as well. Before you design and build a system, I highly recommend reading the most recent edition of his book, Create an Oasis with Greywater, and viewing his DVD “Laundry to Landscape.” You can purchase them through his website, Oasisdesign.net. By purchasing directly, you’ll save money and help support Art’s extremely valuable work.

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