Human Waste Disposal - current thinking

[Wandering Daisy]

I do not have control over animals digging up my droppings, but I DO have control over TP being dug up- I always carry it out. I however will not carry a trowel, as suggested by the authorities! Rocks and sticks serve the purpose just fine.

[Tom_H]

LOL, somehow Mother Nature doesn't give me much advance notice when she calls. I have to dig that hole in a hurry. I've been trying to cut down my base weight and keep cost analyzing what's worth new investment. I finally broke down and bought a titanium trowel that's under a half ounce. It will flex torsionally and seems like it could buckle forward. The way the guy designed it though, it doesn't seem like it's going to bend at all when I lever back on the handle. It's made of 1 piece of sheet Ti, is short, thin, and so full of holes and crease lines that it looks like it was designed by aeronautical engineer. I'll let you gals and guys know how well it works after my next trip.

[longri]

For trips of just a few days the solution is simple. Do as the Russian cosmonauts used to do to avoid the much more difficult issues involved in zero-gravity elimination and accept a pre-trip enema. For longer trips you might consider creating an attachment to your Camelback or Platypus.

Or not.

[Ken M]

Ken Murray, here. You can imagine my surprise when I saw myself cited.

Thanks for the memories!

To the issue, there are several interlocking complex things:

First, one has to consider the impacts of alternatives. Once can't simply say "don't do this", without an understanding of what the alternative entails.

Human waste, and human waste contaminated toilet paper is a very significant bio-hazard. "Pack it out" is not the end of the process---one must consider where it is going to be disposed of when you carry it out. Disposal of a bio-hazard in a simple waste container is probably a federal crime, and potentially exposes may people to disease. You throw it in the dumpster, and you have contaminated the dumpster, and dumpsters leak.

I have been very impressed by the postings by Ron Moak, owner of 6 moons designs, which I'll post in a separate window. This represents an opinion by a professional in forestry with professional experience in a waste treatment plant.

I've also been impressed by the data posted on TP decomposition:

http://hikethru.com/hiking-information/ ... omposition" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Basically, irrespective of type, it is gone in a month.......IF you wet it.

I think the spreading method is reasonable.....IF you are truly in a spot where no one will reliably be by for some time.....perhaps Sierra High Route? Most recreationists are NOT in such places, so it has limited usefulness, or unless you make some significant effort to get far off trail.

For most, the 6-8 in deep disposal, WITH WATER, or Moak's 3 P method, seems reasonable. I've also burned personally for many decades without a problem----but one must always be mindful of conditions to avoid a fire. Unless one is committed to being careful, one should avoid burning------and of course avoiding it when it is prohibited.

[Ken M]

Here is dissertation created by Ron Moak of Six Moon Designs (Fallingwater),
PCT veteran:
========================================================

With respect to my background and reasoning process. It's derived from a
Degree in Forest Management combined with working three years in a major
sewage treatment plant. This provides a pretty good basis for understanding
the forest ecology, forest by products (TP) and waste management.

Since I was the original author of the 3 P's (P00P, pee and puree) method of
waste disposal I thought I'd offer a few comments to the ongoing thread.

I've read most of the posts related to this topic with a fair degree of
indifference. Fundamentally it matters little to me how you treat your TP as
long as it is done environmentally (ie no forest fires please) and it's done
in a LNT manner (ie. I don't have to see it). So pack it out, burn it, bury
it in 6 foot hole, go au'natural or do the 3 P's if that's your fancy.

In general with discussions like this, we like to simplify the problem.
Simple problems are much easier to solve than complex ones. So we'll boil
the whole proper waste disposal discussion into "Get rid of the TP eyesore".
Since we've simplified the problem, let's find a simple solution. One that's
easy to remember and easy to convey when we want to pound it into someone
else's head who doesn't happen to agree with us. In this case "PACK IT OUT".
You got admit is goes well with our current nanosecond attention span.

When I originally proposed the 3 P's method, I wanted something that was
environmentally sound. Admittedly, I don't cherish the thought of packing
out used toilet paper.

Of all of the methods of dealing with waste disposal, the 3 P's is the most
environmentally sound. Why, because it deals not only with the toilet paper,
it's designed to aid in the breakdown of the waste as well.

Our bodies to an amazing job squeezing moisture out of our waste before it's
deposited. Scatology is a whole science devoted to the study of petrified
P00P.

The purpose of the 3 P's is add moisture, in the form of pee or a cup of
water if you're empty, to the mix to aid in the growth of bacteria. They, in
turn, will naturally compost the waste. The TP acts as a sponge and soaks up
the moisture, slowly releasing it back as needed. By slowly releasing the
water, you increase the amount of time available to compost the waste.

Pureeing the mixture, incorporates the TP within the waste. Properly done,
there is no sign of the TP. It also mixes in some of the surrounding soil
that contains microbes helpful in breaking down the waste.

Cover it in a few inches of forest debris and you've got a little totally
unnoticed waste facility plant working to do what nature does best.
Recycling us into the next generation of plants and animals.

--------------------------------------------------
Fallingwater

[Ken M]

Here is a link to a voluminous scientific article on the best knowledge available at the time of printing:

http://mercury.celerius.com/kayak/kayak ... epaper.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;