At Sperry camp, a unique toilet
Backcountry campers at the Sperry campground in Glacier National Park will have to do a bit of pedal pushing after they have a poo.
Glacier National Park trail crews installed a new Toilet Tech Solutions potty that separates the solid waste from the urine. In order to accomplish that, the toilet uses a conveyor belt. Once a person does his or her business, you then have to push a pedal several times.
That runs a ratchet that turns the conveyor belt. The solids end up in one hole, the urine drains into another.
It’s called an Ecodomeo conveyor and Toilet Tech has the exclusive rights to it the United States.
The idea behind the toilet is twofold: For one, it’s said to greatly reduce odors. Secondly, the solid waste will compost better, according to Toilet Tech.
“When urine mixes with fecal matter, excess ammonia creates odor and toxic conditions in the waste,” Toilet Tech says. “When urine is diverted prior to mixing with fecal matter, it can be safely treated by on-site soil. Fecal matter that hasn’t been soaked with urine can be consumed by a wide range of invertebrates, such as worms, nematodes, and mites without any bulking agent. Humans are the only mammal on the planet to pee on their poo. Toilet Tech’s rugged urine diversion systems re-establish the natural diversion of urine away from fecal matter so that urine can fertilize local plants and soil invertebrates can consume fecal matter, naturally.”
The toilet was installed prior to the Howe Ridge Fire. The same toilet system is also installed at the Hole in the Wall campground.
Traditional one-hole backcountry toilets, especially those at high use campsites, are foul smelling affairs after they see a lot of campers and bake in the summer heat.
At Sperry, the instructions on how to use the toilet are simply written on a piece of cardboard tacked to the wall, in typical bathroom fashion. Folks who want to experience the toilet will have to wait — the backcountry campground there is currently closed due to the Howe Ridge Fire.