I posted this under health/med. I've got an associate I work with who was an 11B(infantryman) in Vietnam. He did a bad thing and was in LBJ Long Binh Jail. After that he was sent back to his unit for the usual 30 days extra duty(or what ever they called it in the army, I was navy). Any way, he had to Burn the latrines. Said it was the worst smelling thing he ever had to do. What I want to know is what sort of field sanitation if any should I think of? Here until the end of april it's frozen. I've got the usual catalogs for this thing but should I worry? I mean if it's frozen crap, then all I have to do is dehydrate it and the get rid of it. Any input?

-- nine (nine_fingers@hotmail.com), January 03, 1999

Answers

Yep, over to Bagga, he's an expert on crap.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 03, 1999.

Have you checked out the Humanure Project, or Composting Toilets?

-- Damian Solorzano (oggy1@webtv.net), January 03, 1999.

* * * 19990103

nine:

"Burning latrines" was the best method of reducing human waste in the field.

In our field camp, the latrines were simple: 55 gallon drums, cut in half. The half-drum was easy to slide in/out from under a 3-sided, wooden box, topped with a 4th piece that had a center hole. A toilet seat was attached to the top. Voila!

The half-drum was slid out/in when burning was required. Easy to drag to and empty into a pit. An accelerant ( gasoline, kerosene ) was used to burn ( reduce ) excrement some 200 feet away from the latrine. Lye ( ? ) was spread over the ash to keep the critters at bay.

Pretty simple process. I'm planning to build a simple outdoor latrine of this type as a backup in the event that my septic field should become dysfunctional without repair resources available.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Bob Mangus * * *

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), January 03, 1999.

I'm with Damian. Order a copy of The Humanure Handbook by J.C. Jenkins (about $15+ from Amazon.com). We will need as much good compost as possible, and if properly done, this is an excellent, cheap, sustainable, pathoge-free way to recycle our goodies. It is necessary to be set up before the ground freezes and while a source of organic material to use as cover (sawdust, straw, shredded leaves) is still available. According to Jenkins, it doesn't matter if everything freezes in the winter.

I believe that composting humanure resolves my own surburban household waste issues (my community is almost entirely sewered). But I can't imagine winning that argument if an authority comes to my door to tell me I have to evacuate because, without sewer, my home has been condemned. I'm considering asking my local health agent for a letter saying it would be ok, but I also can't imagine him putting his signature to something in violation with the state sanitary code.

-- Brooks (Brooksbie@hotmail.com), January 03, 1999.

Nine:

careful with the "gasoline" thing. We burn our trash around here and trust me, burning with gas is a very dangerous adventure. Once I put too much gas in an half empty burn barrel. By the time I got my match (flung in at a safe distance) in the barrel, the gas had vaporized. Well, when the match ignited to fumes, the half empty barrel acted like a large cannon. That thing exploded so loud that it shook the windows in the house. It shot out all the burning plastic diapers about 30 feet into the air.

I ran, (very fast). The burning diapers (burning liquid plastic) were falling out of the sky on me and my dry grass. The fire in my yard was quickly put out and I was spared the painful experience of liquid plastic on my head.

The point please. Use a combustable liquid like diesil not a flammable like gas to light any fire. ww

-- WAYNE WITCHER (WWITCHER@MVTEL.NET), January 03, 1999.

This is not a joke.

Read "How To Shit In The Woods", by Kathleen Meyer. Ten Speed Press

"Bowels are not exactly a polite subject for conversation, but they are certainly a common problem....Please think of me again as the urologist's daughter....It may disgust you that I have brought it up at all, but who knows? Life has some problems which are basic for all of us---and about which we have a natural reticence.", Katharine Hepburn, The Making of The African Queen.

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), January 03, 1999.

WAYNE WITCHER: Thanks for the laugh! I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face! Just to visulaize diapers flying up in the air was enough! By the way, go to a used appliance store and pick up an oven rack. When you burn in your burn barrell place the oven rack on top and then a pot of water. Make use of every bit of energy you can.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 03, 1999.

Wayne Witcher: My husband doesn't read this forum, but I tell him about various things I've read here. You will now and forever be known as "the burning diapers guy." Thanks for the best laugh I've had in a while.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), January 03, 1999.

Wayne,

ROTFLMAO

-- Dave (dave22@concentric.net), January 03, 1999.

In a return to topic, SERIOUSLY consider one of the composting toilets in Lehman's catalog. My bro has a friend who lives with one in the bedroom. bro says you would not know the difference except it's larger and doesn't have plumbing. NO SMELL, etc.

chuck

-- Chuck, a nioght (rienzoo@en.com), January 03, 1999.

who HATES breaking in a new computer. This one hasn't learned to spell my sig yet!!!

cr

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 03, 1999.

Looks like Mr. Turdly made a book out of the info he had on his webpage (The Humanure Handbook). The info used to be on Mr. Turdly's site, which was tactfully and humorously presented, considering the subject. I suspect the handbook is written the same way. Here's a hotlink to his page:

http://www.jenkin spublishing.com/humanure.htm (Mr. Turndly)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 04, 1999.

Thanks to all. I guess I need to get my shit in one sock. HA!! nine

-- nine (nine_fingers@hotmail.com), January 05, 1999.

I want to thank you all for contributing to this discussion. Hopefully I can get my shit together with this information. Ha! Seriously, thank you. nine

-- nine (nine_fingers@hotmail.com), January 09, 1999.