In the last months I, Felix, have designed and built a field toilet. The goal of the project was to build more toilets distributed on the farm, so that the ways to a toilet are shorter and the workers and guests don't all have to go to our big central toilet anymore. As with the other toilet, no water is used, but the excreta is collected in a bucket and covered with sawdust. This way it does not smell
and after four to six months of composting it can be used as fertilizer. The toilet consists of a concrete base in which the bucket is located. Through a few steps you get to the cabin, which is located on it. This is covered all around with wooden boards to provide sufficient privacy. For rain and sun protection there is a simple corrugated iron roof above it.
After I finished designing, we started building the first toilet. First we ordered the metal frame, on which the wood and roof would be mounted, from a craftsman. After about a week it was ready.
While I was busy drilling holes for the screws in the scaffolding, a craftsman started to lay the foundation and build the substructure. Together we put the scaffolding in place and finished the substructure together. In the process, we had a good time, a lot of fun, and a good exchange despite the language barrier. The building and fixing of the corrugated iron roof was a bit more complicated
and bothersome than I thought, but in the end it was successful. The last step was to prepare and mount the wood. We bought the boards in the nearby village. With my colleague Noah I cut them to size, drilled the holes and then fastened them to the metal frame with bolts. A worker then painted
the wood with a reddish varnish and thus completed the toilet.
Even if not everything went as planned, there were some problems and inconveniences, the first toilet is still an absolute success and in the future there probably will be several of them on the farm...
