long branch farm

Monday while browsing the internet, I came across a site that talked about the composting toilet facilities at Long Branch Farm. Apparently, they have one of the first composting toilet systems (for public use) in the state of Ohio. I promptly sent them an email to see if I could come check it out.

They promptly replied, and I headed out there early yesterday. Jason, the sole employee at Long Branch (which is part of the Cincinnati Nature Center) showed me everything there was to see (and I mean EVERYTHING :)). This was an important step for my project- designing a composting toilet without ever seeing one seems difficult. The system in place at Long Branch is sophisticated and very much regulated by the EPA (unlike, probably, a personal system would be.) The bathrooms are clean, odor-free, and pretty close to what a standard public restroom would be like. Most of the composting system is in the basement; there is a ventilation system that continuously pulls air through the toilets and large tanks where the waste collects and composts. There is a drainage system that pumps out all the 'fluid' (which is pumped out and disposed of @$200 per pump.) There is also a water tank that is used for cleaning the restrooms and watering the compost.

All in all, the overall take-aways are:

- Composting toilets really don't smell. Really. This, as far as I can tell, is a huge benefit over current portable restrooms.

- The system in place at Long Branch is too involved, and actually requires a lot of work and energy (to keep the unit heated in the winter in order to keep the composting process going.) Jason thinks there could be major improvements. I agree.

- Composting toilets are viable in a public setting. It's working well at Long Branch.