No Discharge: Septage Solids are not Sewage: why a dry "separation device" composting toilet does not need a permit if it's not a privy

So a couple days ago I called up a state pollution guvmint worker who is in charge of the Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems. I asked him about composting toilets. First he said to talk to a plumber. Then I said no I mean about if they need a permit for STS. He said,

"there's no discharge right?"

I said right. He said

"then no permit is needed."

 I said thanks and hung up.

Wow!!

So then I googled it and sure enough I found a state pollution pdf corroborating his claim - no permit needed for composting toilet - why? Because it's a separation device.

 

 So then I found a University report discussing"yellow water" as different than "gray water"




And sure enough - the Swedish ecological sanitation movement is based on the yellow water being collected in tanks and used as fertilizer - after a month minimum of storage in the tanks.

Faecal separation and urine diversion for nutrient management of household biodegradable waste and wastewater pdf

OK so THEN - this morning - I searched septage versus sewage - just to really figure out the difference.

Sure enough I got this hit:


So I word searched it for sewage. (pdf link)

 

OK so that's what happens in a composting toilet or "separation device" - you have Yellow water as fertilization and then you have Septage that reduces down via biological reduction. And notice this is NOT the same as sewage sludge!!

So when the County Guvmint says you need an "Individual Sewage Treatment System" - that is NOT a composting toilet!!

This Ordinance is adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 115.55; ..... Individual Subsurface Sewage Treatment System or ISTS.

Because there's NO Subsurface (pit) and there's NO sewage!!

Also since I put my composting toilet in a dwelling unit then it's NOT a privy!! So no "privy" permit is required! As defined by state guvmint statute:

A privy also means a non-dwelling structure containing a toilet waste treatment device (7080.1100, Subp 86).

As defined by county ordinance:



So my Hermit Hut is a primitive dwelling structure that is not a permanent nor seasonal dwelling unit; rather it is a temporary dwelling shelter aka a "camp cabin" or tent-cabin.

Where was I? Oh back to the composting toilet and the EPA!

So we keep word searching sewage.




Bingo!!

So let's see how the county tries to conflate sewage and septage.




So a "pit" receives sewage but a composting toilet has septage! And if "material" touches sewage then the MATERIAL is considered SEPTAGE but it's still not sewage.

Notice the subtle difference!? haha. Now back to the EPA document.



yes or it can NOT be added to sewage - and then what?




Wow so septage can even have "water" in it? Amazing. It's still NOT sewage!

So then how do we compost it?



So this is the Humanure composting method of Jenkin's fame - he composts on his land and makes and sells composting toilets. His compost is still hot even in the winter! Amazing.

So most people are not able to properly DISCUSS this topic since they don't know the technical difference between sewage (based on "water" used to flush a toilet) and Septage!! So how can we deal with the odor issue mentioned above?




So I use lime ash from the wood stove - in the composting toilet - so that immediately kills off any odors and also dries out the septage.



So then the lime will stop the biological  composting but the ammonia from the urine when added to the compost will also sanitize the septage (there is science proving this). So then I let it compost for a year inside a composting container. https://www.biolan.com/products/biolan-separating-dry-toilet.html

When one of the receptacles fills up, it is moved to the rear part of the unit and the other receptacle is put into use. As required, the surface of the waste can be levelled using, for example, a stick. The covers for the inner receptacles are intended for use while transporting the receptacles for emptying. Leave the cover ajar when storing. Once both the toilet receptacles have filled up, empty the one that filled up first into the compost.

Then I compost it for ANOTHER year outside the compost container - in a tub of soil (so it is now buried in dirt and not as aerated). The container has two containers - trash cans - but with small aeration (cracks). And the septage is covered in straw and dirt in the containers - so it has more aeration but it is not open to the air.

 Oct 20, 2019 - 1. Nature's Head Self Contained Composting Toilet (Our Top Pick) ... Separation helps you go for longer periods before emptying because it slows decomposition. ..... Or you could link it to a composting device in your yard.

Toilets such as the Separette Villa and Nature’s Head (which includes urine diversion) collect the material in a small chamber, which then must be emptied outside into a larger composting container to finish the process.

 Before the Arborloo is used, a layer of leaves is put on the bottom of the empty pit. A cup of soil, ash or a mixture of the two should be dumped into the pit to cover excreta after each defecation.

So it's not HOT composting like the Jenkin's method but it is still composting slowly in the final year after a two year process. Then it is ready to continue composting outside in the forest. Let's see what the state guvmint says about that?

Subp. 4.

Toilet waste treatment devices and privies.

A.

For primitive dwellings using toilet waste treatment devices in low dwelling density areas, septage disposal from these devices by the owner must be in accordance with local ordinances. If no ordinance exists, the septage must not be discharged to surface waters, drainageways, steeply sloping areas, or wet areas in a manner or volume that is harmful to the environment or public health or that creates a nuisance. The material must be buried or covered with soil.

and now let's see if I am in a "low dwelling density area" as defined by the county guvmint!



yep!

And the National Forest Service then claims this county zoning is for allowing

Forest and Agricultural Management Zoning - Hunting Shack and "other primitive dwellings."

pdf link

 


So again I don't have a privy since I have a "primitive dwelling" that has a composting toilet in it. The composting toilet is NOT an ISTS since it has no sewage since it's a separating device (and it was NOT cheap - just under $1000 for that separating device composting toilet!!).

So I am allowed to use the primitive dwelling occasionally - without a permit. My previous post proves that this means I can use the primitive dwelling shack DAILY - but as long as I am not sleeping in it then it's not an occupied residence dwelling! I can sleep in it sometimes but not on a regular basis - up to a month a year.

So that means I can heat it up and meditate in there and then just sleep in a tent - IF I need to live on my land legally for year round use. I would just have to sleep in the national and/or state forest for FREE for up to 14 days at a time (year round). And then sleep on my own land in a tent with occasional sleeping in my primitive dwelling structures (the tipi and Hermit Hut).

So that means I could live legally YEAR round on my land and the nearby national and state forests - but not have a mailbox since I would not "pull" any permits for a building structure nor for a sewage treatment system!!

Now let's see if "discharge" is a sewage term but NOT a septage term!



So here the "septage discharge" is only AFTER it's added to sewage.... or also called "sewage sludge."

So if discharge implies a liquid then can septage NOT be a discharge?




Right so you can have "solid septage" and "liquid septage."

Yellow Water is the liquid septage as fertilizer and ammonia - and the lime takes out any other liquid in the septage solids.




So as long as there is no co-treatment with sewage sludge there is STILL no sewage and after treatment with lime ash there is NO discharge because there is SEPARATION of the liquids as Yellow Water and the solids as Septage Solids!!





OK so now I search "yellow water" and septage - just to confirm that yellow water is liquid septage but not discharge.







So as long as they're separated then there is no "discharge" of LIQUID septage. (pdf)



right - this is called "ecological sanitation" in Sweden.

so the term SLUDGE is a kind of continuum term between sewage and septage!!




So as long as it's not semi-solid then it's not septic discharge.

Wow - Bio-Solids is a different kind of sludge! It's not RAW sludge...





That's what the document states about composting toilets! yep.



and



right....

built-in separators.



So discharge is of "effluents" - not of separated out solid septage.