Most toilets in this country use an incredible amount of water. They don't just use water, they waste water! Every time the toilet is flushed, 8 to 15 litres of clean drinking water is turned into a disposal problem. This foul sewage (black water) needs expensive treatment to bring it up to a standard suitable to be discharged into waterways.

While modern dual flush 'eco' toilets reduce the amount of water wasted, they still use a massive amount and so don't really represent a solution. Even toilets that flush using grey water (water discharged from baths and sinks) still contribute to the problem, even if they are not wasting drinking water.

But there are alternatives. Before the water closet (WC) there was the earth closet. Although the development of these no flush systems came to a virtual halt with the introductions of the sewers, the last couple of decades has seen a great deal of research and improvement in their designs and implementation.

Compost toilets safely turn faeces into a valuable resource. The compost produced can be moved to where it is needed and help to improve the soil. The 'tree bog' goes one step further, it utilises the nutrients directly and produces valuable biomass as a by-product and requires no secondary handling of the wastes..

See also: Treebogs, a sustainable alternative
How to build a treebog
and our compost toilet.