Composting Toilet Review Guide

Composting toilets are practical, eco-friendly, and low maintenance additions to all kinds of living spaces.

There are composting toilets designed for rural homes, outdoor events, hotels & inns, urban apartments, RVs, aeroplanes, and boats.

Is there one type of composting toilet that trumps all and is best for all situations?

The short and direct answer is a big NO!

Composting toilet manufacturers have so many considerations to make, such that it makes better economic, functional, and design sense to create toilets that are only suitable for a particular living space and not a one size fits all.

For instance, what may work well in a rural home might not be a good addition to a mobile home.

The 3 top considerations for manufacturers and users alike include:

• Do you need a waterless toilet or a pint flush toilet?
• If you are connected to an electric grid, do you want an electric toilet or non-electric toilet?
• Do you want a self-contained composting toilet or one connected to a central composting unit?

We chose the following six top composting toilet models based on sales volumes, customer reviews, and expert reviews.

• Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet with Close Quarters Spider Handle Design
• Sun-Mar Model 510 Plus, 1 Pint Flush Toilet
• Separett Villa 9215 AC/DC
• Thetford 92360 Porta Potti Curve Portable Toilet
• Sun-Mar Compact Self-Contained Composting Toilet
• Nature’s Head Dry Composting Toilet with Standard Crank Handle

For each of our picks, we have done our best to demonstrate the living spaces they are most suitable for and any additional requirements you may need for a fresh, odorless, and efficient composting toilet experience.

Before we look at the most popular composting toilets in 2020, let’s describe composting toilets.

What Are Composting Toilets?

What is a composting toilet and why would anyone go for a composting toilet rather than a traditional regular toilet?

These are the top questions we always get when discussing composting toilets. The definitions are varied and there are many reasons one would purchase a composting toilet in lieu of a traditional toilet.

The defining factor of a composting toilet is that it’s designed to turn human waste into safe fertilizer.

To achieve this, a composting toilet is designed to safely collect human waste and to accelerate decomposition without using chemicals.

To avoid contamination of the compost, things like soaps, detergents, toilet scrubs, cleansers, and even toilet paper are kept away from the holding tank.

Most composting toilets are waterless designs that hasten the decomposition process. They also work to divert urine into separate containers from the solid waste.

This helps keep the toilet area odor free while providing safe manure free of excess ammonia found in urine.

Top Composting Toilet Brands

1. Nature’s Head

Nature’s Head is probably the best known manufacturer of composting toilets today. The company focuses on feature rich designs that are easy to use, and at a reasonable price.

Their units are most popular for their 5 year warranties. The founders are deeply tied in to the brand story, affording the manufacturer better brand recognition compared to their competitors.

Nature’s Head composting toilets are also known to conform to designs that are similar to regular toilets. This makes it comfortable and familiar to most users, though it might cause some difficulties to fit in small spaces.

2. Sun-Mar

Sun-Mar is just as well known as Nature’s Head and are commonly regarded as the pioneers of composting toilets manufacture. They are especially recognized in the industry for their top notch customer service.

Sun-Mar have some of the best instructional videos and an active social media and online presence.

Their best known as the composting toilet manufacturer that builds toilets for space shuttles. It is the gold standard in this industry and are set to continue making innovative and eco-friendly products in 2020 and beyond.

3. Separett

Separett is a Swedish company that specializes in waterless toilets. Their products are known for their comfort and high standards. The company has been manufacturing eco-friendly toilets since 1976 and has a global presence in almost all corners of the world. They have a wider range of eco-friendly toilets compared to the other brands on this list.

4. Thetford

Thetford are best known for traditional toilets rather than composting toilets. In fact, even most of their so-called composting toilets are regarded more as mobile toilets rather than composting toilets.

All their toilets use water and are not urine diverting. However, they might also be considered composting toilets as they are self-contained units that do not have the chemical-filled black tanks.

Nonetheless, their units are favored because of their pricing and their more familiar use of powerful flash technology.

Top 6 Best Composting Toilets to Choose in 2020

1. Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet with Close Quarters Spider Handle Design

The sleek compact design comes with an exhaust fan that expels odors and draws in fresh air. This ensures that your toilet space remains odorless at all times. This also functions to bring in a fresh supply of oxygen which helps in natural decomposition.

Due to its superior design, this unit by Nature’s Head is easily portable and can be emptied by almost anyone over 12 years of age. It is self-contained with a separate unit for urine.

The unit was first designed by two sailors who were frustrated by what was in the market at that time for boats and yachts.

With time, the design has evolved to make the unit work seamlessly within other spaces. Thus, this Nature’s Head composting toilet is perfect for boats, mobile homes, and rural homes.

The manufacturers tout it as the best composting toilet for areas with poor plumbing and no electricity supply. It is also one of the most durable units on our composting toilets list today.

2. Sun-Mar Model 510 Plus, 1 Pint Flush Toilet

Like all Sun-Mar composting toilets in the market today, the 1 pint flush is listed and certified by the NSF International (formerly National Sanitation Foundation).

The Sun-Mar 1 pint is used together with a central composting unit such as Centrex 1000, 2000, or 3000.

It has a sleek compact design that looks beautiful in both small and large spaces. This design makes it ideal for use in homes with kids and shorter people.

It’s an ultra low model that works very much like the traditional flush toilets, but without all the hectic associated plumbing hustles.

Though in some instances, you might need to raise your unit onto a platform to allow for gravity to feed the composting unit.

While the 1 pint flush is best used for homes with central composting, the unit can also be used where there’s an overloaded septic system, a holding tank, in an RV, or on a boat.

The Sun-Mar 1 pint is very simple to use. There’s an easy to use pedal that the user pushes with their foot.

This opens up the water valves that cleans up the bowl. Once the flushing process is complete, a small amount of water remains in the toilet, held back by a teflon seal and a self-cleaning ball valve.

3. Separett Villa 9215 AC/DC

The Separett Villa 9215 AC/DC is an Intertek ETL certified composting toilet. It’s a low profile unit that is very comfortable, no matter your size.

It comes with an optional child seat, for kids under 12 years. It’s also compact and portable, so it can be easily handled by kids and adults when emptying and cleaning.

As the name suggests, this unit is perfect for those living in remote areas, away from the power grid. It can be connected to a 12V DC power source.

It can also be powered by alternative electricity sources such as batteries and solar. The unit comes with an AC adapter to enable users run it on standard 110V and 240V power.

The Separett Villa 9215 AC/DC unit is a favorite for owners of tiny homes because of its size and how it operates.

The built-in fan is designed to drive less air for an odorless experience in small spaces.

The Separett Villa composting toilet is a urine diverting toilet and works by catching the urine and draining it into a separate holding tank.

4. Thetford 92360 Porta Potti Curve Portable Toilet

The Thetford 92360 is a compact, ultra-modern unit best used in peri-urban settings and in RVs.

It has a futuristic design and comes with a very comfortable seat. It comes with a toilet paper holder and has an increased bowl size similar to your regular home toilet bowl.

It has a battery-powered flush system that’s very powerful and gets rid of all streaks.

Emptying the holding tank is easy. The unit has an easy to use handle and an optional hold down kit that prevents splashing and back surge during emptying. This is further reinforced by the nozzle-like spout.

It has a helpful indicator line that clearly lets you know when the tank is full and ready for emptying.

The cover and seat are easily removable, making maintenance easy and increasing durability. The Thetford comes with an optional hold-down kit, which makes it the perfect composting toilet for use in mobile homes, campers, trucks, and boats.

The Thetford is a more affordable unit compared to the Nature’s Head and Sun-Mar units.

5. Sun-Mar Compact Self-Contained Composting Toilet

This is another popular unit from the Sun-Mar company. Unlike our second featured product, this unit is self-contained compact unit. It runs on the standard household electricity current and works on waterless technology.

It is popular because of its high efficiency in turning waste into usable quality garden manure. The unit is ideal for use by small numbers of people, 1 to 4 people.

The design incorporates a detachable footrest for comfort and an emergency drain to avoid overflow.

The unit is designed to filter out the urine to the bottom. A well aerated holding tank remains odor free unless the power goes off for prolonged periods.

The unit has a solid construction that is durable and can support weights of up to 300 lbs. The Sun-Mar compact self contained composting toilet comes with a 3 year warranty while the fiberglass is covered by a 5 year warranty.

The downside about this unit is that it needs to be connected to the household power to remain odor-free. Otherwise it works best for homes, small inns, and motel rooms.

6. Nature’s Head Dry Composting Toilet with Standard Crank Handle

Nature’s head are clear leaders in the composting toilet industry and deserve a second mention. This unit’s defining feature is its crank handle. It is used to mix up the solid waste and speed up the composting process.

The unit is waterless, urine diverting, comes with a heating panel below to evaporate any liquids, and a fan to drive fresh air and keep out offensive odors. It is a compact unit with a sleek design.

Can be easily handled by small hands such as a pre-teen, when cleaning and emptying. It’s also not too heavy for an elderly person to empty out.

The unit also has a 12V power plug for the fan and heater. It also includes a 5-inch hose for ventilation. The vent hose can also be used to perform some light cleaning.

Like all Nature’s Head composting toilets, it is American-made, comes with a 5-year warranty, and you can expect high quality customer service that the company is renowned for.

Pros And Cons Of Composting Toilets

There are many advantages and disadvantages of composting toilets in comparison to other types of toilets.

Pros

• Because it is waterless, a composting toilet saves on water use. They can save up to 7,000 gallons per person.
• Waterless means you just use the toilet and walk out. No more action from your part such as flushing or scouring the toilet bowl.
• Composting toilets are maintenance free, or at least low maintenance.
• The installation of a composting toilet is much less involving and cheaper than the more demanding plumbing for a traditional toilet. Some composting toilet units are self contained while others connect to a nearby composting septic tank.
• Unlike other types of toilets, composting toilets are null-pollutants. They are 100% safe for the environment and actually enrich it by providing humanure.
• Composting toilets are mostly lightweight, compact, mobile units. Thus, you can carry it with you for field trips, outdoor events, off-trail adventures, road trips, and boat trips.
• Composting toilets are space savers. They can be used literally anywhere and are a favorite for owners of tiny homes.

Cons

• Some models lack the compactness expected of composting toilets. They are harder to fit in mobile homes, RVs, and boats.
• Some models have loose lids that bang on rugged terrain and choppy waters if installed in a vehicle or boat.
• Some makes and models require too many connections to power grids, sewage systems, and water systems.
• Some makes and models have parts that require regular specialist servicing that might get expensive over time. Or it might be challenging getting a qualified technician to attend to repairs.
• Some people are still skeptical about the hygiene and safety of composting toilets and may be reluctant to use them or install them in their homes.

Wrapping up

Composting toilets have many benefits that will assist you in supporting environmental conservation efforts and saving on costs.

So, instead of going for a traditional water toilet, choose a waterless composting toilet and reap the benefits.