Find more info about this design here
The Humanure Hacienda is the space where we collect all of the compost from our toilet system. It consists of three parts: The center is covered with a roof and is used to store straw. On the sides there are two half open spaces (+-1,5x1,5x1,5m). This is were we store the compost. We begin on one side and cover the bottom of the space with a biological sponge (grass clippings, branches, leaves….) of +- 50 cm. This will absorb the liquid from your compost buckets and prevent to much spillage in the soil around your compost pile. You can then start emptying your buckets on the biological sponge. After emptying we cover the compost with straw from the centered space. When adding new compost we always dig a hole in the center, lifting the straw against the wooden boards. This creates a straw border that both protects the wood and acts as an insulation barrier. In the middle of the pile we empty the new buckets (we currently have four buckets which we empty when all of them are full, so we only have to empty them each month). We then cover the new material with the old material that we dug up earlier. Next we add about 6 buckets of rainwater, often from our Pond, to create a moist environment that will stimulate the bacteria we want. Then we level the straw that is sticking out on the sides, while adding some extra straw in the middle. When one side is filled completely we let it rest for 2 years while creating a new compost pile on the other side. To give you an idea how much space you need for a compost pile, we are currently still filling up the first container, after 2 years of intensive use with 4 people.