I installed a composting toilet a few months ago at an off-grid cabin in the mountains. The important thing to get right is the venting system. This keeps a negative pressure in the compost chamber so air is continually drawn down through the toilet and up out the vent stack. When this is working correctly the bathroom will have no smell at all.
The second thing to worry about is the overflow drain. Depending on temperature and usage, urine may not evaporate faster then it is added. There is an overflow drain to handle this situation. Local building codes may require you to pipe the overflow to a conventional septic system, thus negating a lot of the cost and simplicity benefits of a composting toilet.
Not inside but outside yes if there is no wind/certain air pressure. The toilet has intake air and an exhaust chimney that you put through the roof or a wall. So generally the exhaust should go up like smoke from a chimney but it can also come down at time. It doesn't smell like poo/pee but it does smell something.
At least the model we have at our summer cottage, you can go multiple times while it's still burning since the incinerator and the part where you are doing your business are two separate areas. To "flush" you just press the button that opens the hatch and drops down in to the incinerator.
You have to empty it maybe once month and there is only handful of ash. It's definitely easier to maintain than composting toilet where usually you need to throw in some dry mulch/compost material so doesn't get smelly. Eventually you still have to empty the compost and hope it has mostly turned in to soil. It also smaller than composting toilet so you can fit in inside a small cottage.
Thanks for the toilet link... That looks really interesting. What do you think of it? Other than that website,I cannot find anything about that toilet anywhere. I'm confused about where the waste goes and how it can have no smell... Is it only for peeing?
Smell problems aside, how do you transport the compost away from the toilet?
Expecting people to shovel their shit is almost reasonable in a setting where you live in a house with a yard and could actually use the compost, but what about an apartment building, or a high rise office building?
I really like the idea of using grey water to flush toilets, which at least takes 1 level of water cleaning out of the equation. I used one of those toilets that fills the tank after you flush, through a tap that drains into the tank. You washed your hands while the tank filled and eventually flushed. It was pretty neat.
LOL at the exhortations to properly flush the toilet, not put toilet paper into the toilet, and close the door after using the toilet because "there are people living in the compartment". I can only imagine what things smelled like after 3+ months underwater.
Technically he's got "black" covered, since he has a composting toilet. I do look forward to seeing how he solves the water problems: I hope that floor was loosely installed.
Composting toilets most definitely are completely different. You are explicitly not supposed to mix liquid and solid waste. Bidets are different and work differently. Squat toilets almost always result in issues because people don't know how to stand above them. Pit toilet lids are almost always kept open, resulting in smells lingering. I gave those examples for a reason. They all have specific quirks and differences in use.
Only the most basic of user interaction is there, and in the case of squat toilets even that isn't there.
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