Compostable Toilet Bags

Glad Tall Compostable Bags

Separett bags

Separett Bags

I get many questions about what bags to use in a Separett toilet. These need to be compostable bags that will readily break down in a compost bin. The actual Separett bags are excellent, but they are a bit expensive. There are other compostable bags, commonly available at hardware stores, grocery stores, and online – for far less money. These bags may be thinner than the actual Separett bags, so you might need to double bag the bucket. You need the bag to be 7 gallons (26 liters)  or larger.

NOTE: It is important to choose a true compostable bag. These are usually made from corn starch. There may be “bio-degradable” bags available that do not compost as well.  A true compostable bag breaks down very easily, (although there may be some harmless traces of it in your compost.) It should say on the box if it is a compostable bag or bio-degradable bag.

Recently a company called Unni World has started making compostable bags which are designed for toilets. I’ve not tried them yet but they look pretty good. They are the correct size for the Separett toilet.

Unni World Compostable Toilet Bags

Unni World makes bags designed specifically for composting toilets

Glad Tall Compostable bags are commonly available – and inexpensive. They are a good alternative to Separett bags. You may also wish to try other brands.

Bin with Separett bag

You don’t want your compostable bag breaking open while it is still in the toilet. Therefore, you want to double bag the bucket, or use the thicker Separett compostable bags.

If the toilet is emptied infrequently, the bag could begin to break down inside the toilet. This is not a big problem. Just dump the entire contents of the bag into your outside composter, rinse out the bucket with water (if it is dirty), put a new compostable bag in the bucket, and you are good to go.

You should have two composters to compost your waste. These should not be open to the ground underneath, as they could leach. I like the rotating drum composters. Use one at a time. After the first drum fills up, you can start using the second drum.

compost tumbler ideal for composting humanure

When the second drum is full, you can put the contents of the first drum on non-edible plants. Adding lime greatly speeds up the process. With lime added, your compost should be ready for the plants after 120 days (above freezing). I do not recommend a specific brand of compost drum, but there is an excellent review of the best models here.

Read Separett FAQs here.

You can read more and watch videos on the Separett toilet here