A serious question about nightsoil

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by lollipop, Jan 21, 2009.

  1. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    I`ve been peeing into that for some time now, although I do wee into a bucket in the downstairs loo and do it that way-as a girl it`d be a nightmare.


    How would I go about treating it? Just run it through the compost? or sprinkling on something like fertiliser or something?
     
  2. terrier

    terrier Gardener

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    Ash from the fire place was used in the 'dry loo' to combat the smell. I still use ash to mix with the dog waste (we've got a lot of dogs), makes disposing of it a bit less unpleasent.
    Years ago my FIL and his gardening cronies used waste material from the sewage treatment works that they called 'coke'. It was dry and crumbly as I remember and they swore it was the best stuff around for growing your veg.
     
  3. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    That stuff from the sewage farm is really good terrier - its also full of tomato seeds which aren't killed off by the human digestive system or the sewage process. So if you ever get some you'll find that tomato plants will start growing as soon as you add water to it.
     
  4. Palustris

    Palustris Total Gardener

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    We used to be able to buy sewage material from the treatment works in Huyton. It was dry black crumbly and sterile after the treatment. Always got a good crop of free tomatoes in it too.
    We have a Septic tank here (well it is not really, it is properly called a seperation unit), but the lids are so heavy it takes 2 of us to lift them when it needs emptying of the solids. It is only really fresh stuff which smells. Bacteria in soil remove the smell from it within 24 hours.
    You can put the waste in a digester and produce methane which is used in China etc. as a cooking fuel.
     
  5. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Note to self: take packed lunch on future visit to China :lollol:
     
  6. youngdaisydee

    youngdaisydee Gardener

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  7. Kristen

    Kristen Under gardener

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    "Note to self: take packed lunch on future visit to China"

    Note to self: take packed lunch on future visit to Chinese restaurant ...
     
  8. Kristen

    Kristen Under gardener

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    "Just run it through the compost"

    lollipop: I wonder if the Green Cone would be any good for this "job"? It is advertised as being able to compost meat etc. from the kitchen, which I would not try to put through a conventional compost heap.

    http://www.greencone.com/
     
  9. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    They were still using 'night soil' when I was out in S.E.Asia over Christmas :thumb:

    We have a cess pit (can't really call it a septic tank because there is no form of treatment at all) and we only removed the hand pump from it last year. When we first moved in some of the neighbours were still pumping their waste onto their veg gardens in the winter and digging it in. Others just used to pump it into the field at the back when the farmer used to do his muck spreading from the pig farm down the road. The joys of living in the country!!! :hehe: :hehe:

    None of them pump out their tanks nowadays. :gnthb:

    I still pee on the compost heaps when I'm working in the garden - except when the farmer is working in the field :). Don't want him to end up rolling on the ground in laughter :rotfl: :rotfl:
     
  10. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    A friend of mine has one and I believe she puts the dog's doin's into it.
     
  11. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    I will have to check out the greencone, it could be worth looking at for the cats doings at the very least.

    I think in this day and age of environmental awareness we have to be open to new ideas-or rather a little less precious about some of the older ones.

    I am still open to it.
     
  12. walnut

    walnut Gardener

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    The mind boggles,Claire apple tarting in a bucket in the middle of the night behind a leyllandii what will the neighbours think.:rotfl::help:
     
  13. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I've got a green cone and was wondering whether to empty the cat's litter tray into it. The cone is full of nice red worms so I guess it won't harm them and any nasties will get safely broken down, I will give it a try - seems a shame to throw it away into landfill.

    Claire - check to see if your local council does the green cone cheap - mine was only £5 delivered from our council. This website: http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/index.html is supposed to show what offers are on in each area, but it is incorrect for us - I would try ringing your local council.

    Then all you need to do is to fit the toilet seat onto the top and find somewhere for the toilet roll .... :)
     
  14. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    Maybe hanging off one of the Leylandii branches? :lollol:
     
  15. daitheplant

    daitheplant Total Gardener

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    Claire, don`t forget, you can get a nasty rash from Leylandii.:gnthb::lollol::old:
     
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