Installing dry toilets at home, “an obvious gain for the planet”

Un concept qui plaît… sur les événements, mais ne se démocratise pas encore chez les particuliers. MAXPPP – Jean-Marc Lallemand

Thomas Belveze, founder of Sud Toilettes Sèches in Montpellier, a company which rents dry toilets for events but also sells them to companies or individuals, discusses the advantages of these toilets which do not need to be installed. water.

Thomas Belveze, founder of Sud Toilettes Sèches. Linkedin Thomas Belveze

Using dry toilets, does it really save water ?

A household’s use of water, for its toilets, represents 20 to 30% of its consumption, on an overall volume, on average for a household of three people , 329 liters of water per day. Each time you flush the toilet, between 9 and 12 liters, a little less with a double control, go to the sanitation system. The dry toilet does not require a drop of water. The gain for the planet is obvious.

But is it possible to install one at home ?

There are rarely cases where this is impossible. So of course, the ideal configuration is an individual house with a small piece of land to manage its material in a composting cell, as we do with our bio-waste. It is more complex in urban areas and collective housing, because there are no or very few channels for collecting and recycling dry toilet materials. But yes, even in an apartment, it’s technically possible, provided you think about it in advance, by opting for a system that separates urine and excrement.

In a detached house, is it complex to install ?

Absolutely not, since there is no connection to the sanitation network. If you opt for dry toilets with controlled organic litter, which is recommended for individuals, it is just a box to put on, with a container for wood shavings next to it.

Casa, the dry toilet model for individuals developed by the Montpellier-based company. DR

With what constraints ?

In fact, it just requires changing your habits. Instead of pressing the flush, we mix all of our needs with wood chips. You must then regularly empty the bucket into your composter and then manage it. We recommend doing this once a week, to prevent the bucket, often with a capacity of 30 liters, from being too heavy.

It’is guaranteed odorless ?

Liquids are absorbed by the shavings – which can be found in pet stores or at a carpenter's. This neutralizes odors, provided you are not stingy with the shavings. If dry matter predominates, there is no problem.

What is the cost of such an installation ?

You can find dry toilets on the internet for 30 € from China, but this is not recommended. Ours, made in Aude with French poplar, can cost more than 1,000 € depending on the finishes, but we are above all rental companies and we do not achieve economies of scale. From 500 €, you can find high-performance models… therefore very competitive compared to toilets. classics.

Is the system democratizing ?

At the events, festivals and others that we have been operating on for seven years, there is real enthusiasm. But prejudices about materials management remain a barrier even though it is really not very restrictive. We would like people to get started, out of ecological commitment, before climate change and lack of water make it an obligation.

See the guide produced by Sud Toilettes Sèches on the use of dry toilets. I subscribe to read more