Carousel Composting Toilets at Work!

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Family's Carousel Is in Their Kitchen Pantry!

In 1988, when Patti Nesbitt was designing her Virginia house, there was no question that it would have a composting toilet. "The bottom line for me was not to poop in my drinking water," says Nesbitt, a former consultant to the EPA on small flows and alternative wastewater systems and a contributor to the 1977 book, Goodbye to the Flush Toilet. In her home, a Carousel composting toilet system serves one dry toilet on the second floor.

Installing the system allowed her to have a reduced-size septic system, which manages the rest of the wastewater, including a standard low-flush toilet on the first floor. "I really like it. There's almost no maintenance" she says. "It's a wonderful toilet, a great system. It makes sense engineering-wise, biology-wise and environmentally."

Carousel Prevents High Cost of Expanding a Septic System

Andy and Karen's home in northwestern Connecticut serves as a model of composting toilet success in a conventional, somewhat upscale home to two adults and three children. The home features two SeaLand microflush toilets connected to a Carousel composting toilet system located in the basement.

In 1993, when Andy, a doctor, and Karen, a jewelry designer, sought permits to build on to their small lakefront ranch-style house, they were told that their septic system had to be upgraded significantly. In fact, about 72 truckloads of sand (900 cubic yards) would have to be trucked in to expand the leachfield. "It was going to change the topography of the land and really tear things up," says Karen. It was also going to cost an estimated $16,000. The Carousel system saved them $10,000.

With the composting system, they were allowed to use their existing septic tank system for graywater and leachate only. "It was a little bit of a risk, but it appealed to us in terms of doing our bit with ecology and not being greedy with the earth's resources," Andy says. "There comes a time when you need to take a stand to make change happen. I was happy to be the first around here to be that person."

Carousels Keep Water Clean Around Pacific Islands

The government of Palau, an island nation in the western Pacific, installed 15 Carousel composting toilet systems on the Rock Islands, around which is some of the best diving in the world. The systems are so popular that Palauans are now requesting Carousels for their homes. This program was carried out by EcoTech's engineering division, Ecological Enginering Group, LLC.

Carousel Serves Historic Home
When the Old Manse historical home in Concord, Mass. needed to install a toilet for its employees, they needed one that would not pollute the nearby river. The solution: a Carousel Composting Toilet System with a SeaLand microflush toilet, and a Washwater Garden for the sinks.