Household and Human Waste Disposal

Interested to hear what others plans are regarding disposal of toilet waste if/once water is not available.Will you use your precious stored water to flush??? Households are likely to be at max capacity ..with added family and friends hunkering down together and this will cause a huge problem if the water goes down. There is also the added problem if someone in household becomes ill, as bodily waste/fluids will carry disease. I have been thinking about this and thought I would bucket water from the pool for this event..but what are others plans?? Perhaps bury waste in garden?.. not everyone has one. Also been thinking of usual household rubbish disposal, tins, jars etc (from preps) guess we will bury these in our garden. What of those that live in apartments? 

I would dig a hole, I have a bag of lime. That is supose to neutralize it.

We could all just put up a little building, with a half moon on the door.

I live on about ten acres and all the land around is my husbands family so I suppose we'll form a sort of extended compound. My idea is that we'll probably designate an area away from our homes and dig a hole.

Old thread in the Priority Preparations forum with suggestions about  Sanitation:

Most people could fix something up in their bathroom. Take one of those cheap white plastic chairs you use outside. I think they sell them at wal-mart for $5. Cut a hole in the seat, put a bucket under it. Then have a hole dug outside, empty the bucket when needed. If you live in a apartment I don't know what to say. Unless there is a field near by.

I have 2 commodes because my husband is paralyzed (sp?). I would use a tall kitchen bag in the bucket, then grocery bags as removable liners. If one isn't big enough, or breaks, I have the stronger bag under it.

For disposal we do have a garden where we could dig a hole, and use lime. I would not put the plastic bags in the hole, so that the solids would decompose. (Use another of those grocery bags in place of latex gloves to shake the solids out into the ground, then dispose of both soiled bags . . haven't figured out where yet, maybe another large strong bag.)

However, one of those 35 gal. plastic buckets that fishermen love can substitute for a commode if none of the above suggestions is possible, or thought of too late, with plastic bag liner. Kitty litter might be something to use in bag before disposal??

Apartment living: use same system as above, with LOTS of kitty litter, shavings, lime in bags. When disposing of smaller bags containing waste, put in strongest large heavy duty black lawn and leaf bag possible. Tie top of this bag TIGHTLY but so it can be reopened to add other small bags. Lots of lime, etc. Don't make it heavier than the strongest person can move. Identify one area (closet, extra room, apartment trash room if you are lucky) and deposit large bag there. If someone is going in and out to work, have that person take the full bag to an isolated area outdoors, if one can be found. Dumpster, empty lot, perhaps the neighborhood will designate an area for refuse, sort of by default (everyone will dump their waste in one place??). I don't know if any of this makes sense; sort of working it out as I type. Some of you may be able to see the holes in my plan, please shout them out. Thanks.

You could always do your business in a bucket and chuck it out the window or door. The smell should help detour would be looters. Of course I really dont for see the water system breaking down, unless its in the winter and not enough workers are available to make repairs.

another example is latrine duty

Hi Scotty,

Please keep in mind that diesel and kerosene do not create explosive vapors unlike gasoline. Take necessary precautions when using gasoline otherwise you will be going to the hospital with burns. I have seen several people in my lifetime use gasoline on campfires not knowing of its explosive nature.

Good point, BoJingles, and thanks for the reminder. Those of us who are "country" tend to forget that not everyone has a burn barrel in the back yard ...

For the record, never use gasoline to start a burn barrel if you're burning trash. Just don't.

1. It can explode suddenly, if the vapors catch all at once. Rather large fireball.

2. If there are embers left from the last time you used the burn barrel and you pour gasoline over the new batch of trash in it, the old embers can unexpectedly ignire the gas before you can get back.

(My grandfather ended up with third degree burns on his hand after he thought a campfire had gone out and poured gas over the logs to try to start it again. There was a burning ember in there somewhere and it flashed on him.)

3. Gas burns very hot and very dramatically and can ignite stuff at a surprising distance from radiant heat.

A better choice is to pour used cooking oil over cardboard and use THAT to start your fire. Burns less intensly, but is more than enough to get dry trash going. Diesel or kerosene as mentioned will work.

Be careful whatever you use -- burn barrels are one of the leading causes of wildfires out here.

Leva

BoJingles wrote: <FONT style=": #222222">Please keep in mind that diesel and kerosene do not create explosive vapors unlike gasoline. Take necessary precautions when using gasoline otherwise you will be going to the hospital with burns. I have seen several people in my lifetime use gasoline on campfires not knowing of its explosive nature.