Make Garden Compost out of your waste - Recycle your Most Plentiful Organic Resource

[meowey55]

i can imagine my whole family using this after the holidays.. :/

[healthjunkie1]

Recycling is actually used in many parts of China, where they can not afford compost, fertilizer, or a flushing toilet. My parents were grossed out when they visited there, but this is the way nature works. In China, I don't think their system is as elaborate as yours though. LOL.

[EdenCreekFarm]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee-Haw!

[wicker762]

Great video, John. I use reduced pee for my starters and to get the compost going when it's slow to start, and on the lawn as well. In Iowa we have what's know as 4th of July Corn. That's the early plot that you send the boys out to pee on so it'l be done by the fourth, lol. I appreciate your videos VERY much, thanks for sharing with us.

[kuujatahdet]

What if the human eats lots of meat and is on pharma drugs?

[growingyourgreens]

Cows have been fed (and still are?) fed a meat diet and are on pharma drugs, and most people use cow manure (or other manures from animals that are on pharma drugs.. That being said, compost you and your familiys waste, and know whats going into your food.

[alilcrunchidoula]

@kuujatahdet if the person eats lots of meat and is on pharmadrugs, every thing will be fine, when you are composting in a thermophellic or hot way there is not a worry about that stuff remaining in there. In this process everything is so hot is is broken down completely! This method can even brake down round up which as we all know does not break down as fast as the company says. Read the Humanure Handbook by Joe Jenkins and you will learn all you need to know. :)

[ddmm12407]

What about toilet paper....would that just compost down?

[growingyourgreens]

Yes, it would. Better yet would be to get some leaves that can be used as toilet paper. Thats what people did before there was toilet paper. In my home, I use a bidet which uses only water to "keep me clean". Most toilet papers contain dioxins (and possibly other toxins) that may not be optimal to compost, so get a good, organic, recycled, dioxin free toilet paper if you want to compost it.

[kuujatahdet]

@ddmm12407 i remember someone doing a worm compost bin just for the toilet paper i'm sure someone on youtube would have a vid of how to make one

[doguiefresh7890]

Humanure really isn't that controversal. A friend of our family who fought in WWII in Japan said that during that time, the Japanese had really huge veges and the way they made a cabbage grow 2 feet high was to use something called a "Honeypot". The Honeypot was a huge vat that contained human waste! It was actually very good stuff, since they ate many vegetables and did not use so many pharmaceuticals like people today. So its best to be careful with Humanmanure. Many people on are drugs.

[Fuzzycartoons]

great video! Thanks for showing.

[jlhappytoes]

composting toilet , what a great idea. I have a commercial kitchen and the health department wants me to put a toilet in my kitchen so that when the inspector need to use the toilet they don't need to go inside my house.$10,000 to put a toilet in my kitchen versus $10.00 to put a composting toilet. Thanks John you save me a lot of money.

[565Customz]

in goldsboro NC we have a system like this...but it still uses a regular toilet. what happens is when you flush, your waste goes to the treatment plant. The water is removed and cleaned and returned the the river. The Water goes through a man made wet lands for more purification before it gets to the river The "sludge" goes to the compost facitilty where it is mixed with all the yard clippings collected during curbside collection. Then you can buy the compost and it is EXCELLENT Stuff.

[gtgale1]

I don't like that idea. There is something gross about it. No I wouldn't do it. And I wouldn't eat any of your plants John. I would be sick. No thanks. By pass that part. It will turn a lot of people off your show. I'm sure a lot of people do it. But it's not for

Me or my family. None of them

Would eat the plants if we did that with the compaste . We will just stick to reg regular compasting. Thank yu

[stephlow1965]

I have considered this for a while now but the family is still resistant. I have question-where do you get all the sawdust for this?

[growingyourgreens]

ask around at local cabinet makers or other places that use real wood for woodworking.

[1too3fore]

I've been doing this for 14 months now, unfortunately, some of the info is just plain wrong in this video. The temperature range you want is BELOW 160 F, somewhere between 113 F and 155 F. Over 160 will destroy all the beneficial organisms. Everything has both carbon and nitrogen in it. Brown and Green is plain wrong. Weeds already have the right ratio around 30:1 - C:N ratio.

[DallasBall]

Ok, I like your shows but not this.

[halleysmommy]

Ok. I have a serious question here. What if you're female and... um... doesn't periodic blood in your compost bin attract more smell & possibly even pests? My thought is that poop and pee are somewhat broken down, whereas blood I'm not so sure about.

[growingyourgreens]

Im not qualified to answer that question :) Check with the author of the Humanure Handbook. Im sure it has come up before. Im sure other animals that have a peroidic blood, it just falls to nature and composts too.. After all they do put blood meal in soil as a nutrient.

[frustratedoperator]

@halleysmommy put that in a waste basket

[oceanluv88]

would the "poop" be considered brown or green?

[growingyourgreens]

Brown are nitrogen and greens are carbon. Your waste is considered green or Nitrogen for the most part.

[ceadeses]

That was funny as hell!

[tcbink]

google "Humanure Handbook" and you can find a free copy of the book. Read it pass it along and start taking control of your world.

[Praxxus55712]

Humanure is nothing new. It was used in cottage gardens in Europe for centuries before our country even existed. I choose not to use it. I have more than enough chicken manure to use for compost. Plus I have a well and septic system, so no water or resources are wasted. Very cool video John! :)

[rubyspirit2]

Good informative video!

[kryptiea]

lol

[thedurianking]

what a great idea. I'll have to try that some time. LOL

[apodo7]

they arrested my neighbor for pooping in her yard. dont know if they're legality issues where u live, but just be aware!

[Zippypo]

I live in the country and have been recycling human waste for years.

I have a regular toilet that drains to compost pile.

No smell the only issue with a open compost pile is flies.

Recycling everything here.

A word of warning the place I used to live I was given a warning that I would be fined for using human waste in my yard. So make sure you do not let folks know what you are spreading on your garden.

[Thyrinal]

Very Awsome video! Theres absolutly nothing wrong with Humanure done correctly. Now adays with all the poluted rivers and feilds even our wild harvested food isnt as safe self grown and raised. That being said the more organic and natural our diet is the better the compost will be. Rock on man and thanks for bringing this wonderfull method into the maimstream.

[sharonsoars]

So interesting! I had no idea- and there is such a taboo!

[TheSavvySwede]

That's nasty! In southern California our sewer bill is directly based on how much water you use during the winter months (%). Winter months give a more accurate reading of what is going down the drain. They figure summer months you use more to water your lawn. Also, from my understanding, sewer (black&grey) is sent to a sewer treatment plant. I respect your views, however I think i will just continue to use my water efficient toilet for what it was intended.

[online4videos]

Urine is great to add to compost.... liquid nitrogen! And it has lots of minerals, etc. Poop takes it to another level... I don't know that I could keep all my poop around for 1 year to make sure it has fully composted. But even avoiding the flushing of urine is a huge savings in water (and a huge plus for the compost as a source or nitrogen, water, and micro-nutrients).

[frustratedoperator]

was that maggots or worms in your compost bin? looked like it was moving. good luck with this. what about using sand or vermiculite?

[growingyourgreens]

That was maggots in the compost bin.  It was not my compost bin.

[koztowz]

I almost composted myself laughing

[koztowz]

@koztowz but seriously I think this is a wonderful idea, but I am not a very green healthy person to amend my compost (too many twinkies n coffee).

[citycyborg]

Very very very controversial

[Whippetfest]

One of my friends uses her pee around her flower garden for deer deterent. It totally works. She's the only one who dosen't have a fence around her garden lol!

[baconsoda]

Hi John,

My wife has a meat thermometer, could I use that to check the temperature of my humanure?

Best Wishes, Brendan

[growingyourgreens]

Any thermometer would work, but you should get a long one 20" that will reach the core of the pile. If I were married, I wouldnt use my wifes thermometer.. there may be repercussions :)

[VivianRinSC]

Your diet is all plants but what about those that eat meat. Is that still safe to use? Or use that on non-food plants? This is also a good idea for anyone without a sewer hook up or septic system.

[growingyourgreens]

Should be fine as long as it is done PROPERLY - ie: maintain a 160 degree temperture and/or leave it composting for one year. Read the humanure book for more info. See my link below in the responce to another question.

[TnWormsCastings]

ugh hehe what can i say .. lol

[thunderpants10]

We are installing a composting toilet in our new house. For the people who find this idea distasteful there are many other methods of doing this. I cant stand the idea of pooping in a bucket. We are using a 5 foot long pipe that connects to a large air tight container that might need changing every 6 months or so. More expensive but worth it imho.

[herbalcat]

Once I can talk my husband into this.....yeah, I've wanted to do this for a long time!

[OS253]

Human poop on my veggies? It's very controversial. It's like drinking recycle toilet water. I don't like looking at my OWN poop. It's creepy to me. I'm just saying...

[crewlla]

its fine if you are vegetarians, but if your not its bad for you to put it in your garden. Personally, I would never do it, yes I would use cow manuer but I eat cows I dont eat people. yuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did find intrest in this video thanks for posting......I think hahahahahaha

[OS253]

@crewlla: Putting any manure on my food is too creepy for me. I'll go with my kitchen scraps like egg shells and apple peels. Cow pies are not for me. And human poop freaks me out. Seriously, I will never drink or bathe in recycle toilet water. Why would I eat food that have been contaminated by human feces? Very controversial topic, but it's still a great video!!

[mysciencenow]

it would be easier if you had an outhouse

[brandonkearby]

Hi John,

I have read the Humanure Handbook and it's a really good read. One of the things the author talks about is the thermophilic stage of a compost pile. This is where the compost reaches 160 degree temps which kill all the weed seeds, parasites, e.g. e coli. This really can't be done with out a good nitrogen source.

[eatmoreraw]

Well done John for posting this!

Over a day, there as many nutrients in our wee as there are in our poo. I've experimented with it, diluting 4 or 5 parts water to 1 part wee. Wow, it makes things grow really quickly!

I've not done the poo thing yet, but will do soon!

I think animal bedding will be OK as a soak material, it's very cheap. We have chickens and use wood shavings for bedding. In a couple of months there is absolutely no sign of it in our compost.

[zekehooper]

John, It's funny that I can comment on the vidio when I am on the general you tube site but when I am on your channel I can't...I get this stupid "sign in" thing and then it takes me to Google!

But, the vidio was pretty cool. As far as the peeing on the plants I have read you need to dilute it 10 to 1. Striaght pee will burn your plants? Don't know if that is true or not. As far as the bucket I am not ready for that. But the Humanure book is great!

[bestestmama]

I'm glad you added this vid. Controversial or not, if you believe in it, then you should stand behind it and open other people's eyes to it!

I'm SO not ready for this, but maybe one day. It does make sense.

[loveNcolor]

What in the waste-not-want-not hell?!! No but seriously, this makes plenty of sense but I'm not ready ...and I don't know if I ever will be. The sawdust, even though organic, is especially disconcerting. Do you think it could be substituted with baking soda?

[growingyourgreens]

NO Baking Soda. You must use a CARBON source to neutralize the smell. So Rice Hulls or Peat Moss would be a good substitute. The carbon source also needs to be "smaller" in particle size. Ie: Saw Dust; Not wood chips.

[atticus9799]

Humanure! I don't know if I'm ready to go there.  Yet!

[fatpius]

What's this new PEE-club?

[TABULOUS1]

(rofl @ "..prolly my FAVORITE use of the 5gallon bucket")

lol @ 2:09

EVEN IF I DID have the gumption (&I don't)--but in thinking of the people who DO have the gumption, I was also thinking that most people are probably too hopped up on the government's prescriptions 2use their poop.

If use this on ur edibles & someone *pisses* u off (pun intended), u can tell them to "eat shyt!" --and literally mean it.

[GoldSilverMedia]

Interesting, will the sawdust and hay absorb the smell?

[growingyourgreens]

YES, if done properly there will be no smell. If it smells, you are not adding enough CARBON (sawdust).

[H8RbyN8URE]

Uhmm...

*blink*

*blink*

*blank stare*

[edibleslogarden]

great video john....i pee near fruit trees and on the grass all the time lol, i've heard of the humanure handbook, but nobody wanted to support what i wanted to do. I think it was China that had such rich dark soil because for over 5000 years they had the practice of returning all of their human waste back into the soil and it was called nightsoil

[dsergt]

my dad (deceased '03) was a greenhouse flower grower. he used local 'sludge' as part of his soil mix. his farm still produces a seedling mix (not sure if sludge is part of that recipe) that is used by many growers. keep pushing the envelope John.

[jimbogu3]

Well John, what can I say? This is indeed very controversial. This would require a whole new mindset to get people (including me) to do this. At least here in rural MS we use septic tanks for our waste. I realize the loss of water is immense, but we don't have to pay the city to deal with the waste.  Also, at the end of our field line the grass sure is green and plentiful. Good video and I applaud you for having the guts to post it.

[growingyourgreens]

Agreed. I have not been ready for the longest time. I am ok with peeing on my compost and tree plants. Im working on getting to Humanure and maybe this will help push me more in that direction. Its really important to have the thermophilic COMPOTing system working correctly... and im no compost expert yet :)

[OS253]

@growingyourgreens: John, I'd have to agree with you. It's a very controversial topic.  If you're going to recycle human waste, are you going to use recycled toilet water for your gardens too? Anyway, I still enjoy your videos. Very thought provoking.

[btigtime2]

bwhahahahaha I'll make a confession. I pee in my compost all of the time. I talked to my wife about this and she said "NO". So Rabbit Poo, Chicken Poo Horse Poo and Pee. My Poo is not good enough.

What about the meat eating? People eat meat and I thought Meat eating Animals waste was not suppose to be put in the compost.

[fatpius]

@btigtime2 that's my question also. i'm assuming John is either vegan or vegetarian so his waste would be like cow.........wait, the 'feed' the lots use has animal waste in it...

[growingyourgreens]

According to eating meat, the problem isnt the meat, its the pathogens that still may be in your waste. According to the author of the Humanure Handbook, he says that PROPER humanure kills all the pathogens. See the Humanure Sanitation Paper and the ENTIRE BOOK available free for download at w w w.humanurehandbook. c o m/downloads

[frustratedoperator]

@growingyourgreens I'm curious, what risks did the book discuss if this is done incorrectly?

[growingyourgreens]

Don't know if it listed any. You might want to download and read the book yourself. its available free at w w w.humanurehandbook. c o m/downloads