When you live in a mobile dwelling, you have to think about your waste. Not just the waste in your trash bin, but also your human waste. Where does it go? How do you deal with it? Does it smell? In this article, I’m going to discuss my composting toilet – the Nature’s Head, which is enormously popular in the Tiny House world. We’re going to get into the dirty details of how to deal with the dung (say that 10 times fast). . . so if you’re squeamish, you may not want to read on. You’ve been warned!

Nature’s Head Composting Toilet

While there are many composting toilets on the market, Nature’s Head is the favorite among Tiny Housers for several reasons.

1). Self-containment. This toilet is completely self-contained and can be installed easily. A vent with a 12-volt fan is necessary for operation, but other than that, it’s ready to go straight out of the packaging.

2). Odorless. This toilet is virtually odorless. I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’ve been using this toilet for three years and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. When it does smell, it’s usually the urine container. More on that later.

3). Ease of Use. As with any composting toilet, Nature’s Head takes some getting used to. Overall, it’s very easy to use, dump, and maintain.

How to use the Nature’s Head Composting Toilet

Nature’s Head separates the liquid waste and solid waste into two different containers. This is why it remains odorless. When you use the toilet, you have to manually open a latch to direct your solid waste into the correct container. Liquid waste automatically drains into the correct container when the latch is closed. All humans must sit to use this toilet (yes, men, you too). All toilet paper goes into the solid waste chamber. There is a crank on the side of the toilet for mixing the solid waste, which should be turned daily.

Pro Tips:

• Use RV toilet paper (1-ply). It breaks down faster. It’s also best to tear a bunch of squares rather than use a long strand of paper. Why? Because the toilet paper will get wrapped around the crank, making turning the solid waste a difficult task. To elongate periods in between dumping, throw toilet paper that is used when going #1 in the trash rather than overloading your solid waste chamber.
• Keep a bottle of water mixed with white vinegar next to the toilet. Spray after each use to “flush.”
• Worms can be used in the toilet. Read more about this here.