Where do you dump?

[hpeer]

^
Because she knows where I sleep?
Old adage; never piss of the cook or the paymaster.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by thinwater

A 44 hour round trip in average winter weather to MT a tank is a comical, ridiculous non-starter.

I wouldn't call it a non-starter. It is a little silly when pumpouts are so accessible. I only took exception to it being two or three days in each direction. It's two days round trip for a couple. A little longer singlehanded. Certainly inconvenient. Not impractical. The logistics are awkward if you have to do it every two weeks.

I haven't seen the Bay frozen across in at least thirty years. Some skim ice in the creeks.

There is always room at City Dock for a winter pumpout (and winter water also). The truck is a commercial enterprise so anyone who can get close to parking (like the lift wells at Port A or Jabins, Mears by the office, the ramp at Watergate Pointe (whatever it's called now), Truxton Park can arrange a pumpout. Won't be as cheap as the pumpout boat but not bad.

Not sure how you do it in Deale. Must be septic companies down there and they're eager for business in winter.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by smj

As I have stated numerous times, I have much less intimate interaction with my waste using the composting head as I did with either a holding tank system or using a lectrasan. I would also guess those with holding tanks illegally discharge much more than they would admit.

How do you empty your holding tank, suck it out?

Once I poop and flush, I am done with mine. Someone at the marina comes by with a hose and makes it go away.

Even if I had to do it myself, it's just a matter of holding a hose over a hole until the poop is gone.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

Has anyone discussed sun-drying then incineration to ash?

You are suggesting that I poop on the deck and let it sit there until the sun dries it? What happens when it rains?

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

........... The end product of a month of use is like a rich, semi-dry soil. It's in no way offensive. :.

Unless you have two of these head and alternate month by month, you will always have fresh poop in your mix.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Unless you have two of these head and alternate month by month, you will always have fresh poop in your mix.

Yup. And your point is .

How often have you emptied one of these heads? Or right, never . So thanks for your uninformed opinion.

[smj]

Originally Posted by rwidman

How do you empty your holding tank, suck it out?



Once I poop and flush, I am done with mine. Someone at the marina comes by with a hose and makes it go away.



Even if I had to do it myself, it's just a matter of holding a hose over a hole until the poop is gone.

I don’t empty my holding tank as I don’t have one.
I also don’t rely on others to take care of my possessions or responsibilities.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

Nope, it's just that people who don't like desiccating toilets (more commonly known as composting toilets) and have such an aversion to responsible owners putting double bagged human waste in the dumpsters apparently don't consider babies, or women to be "human" because I haven't heard of ANY of these people complaining about putting diapers and/or tampons/pads in the trash. Wonder why that is???

Could it be that it’s because this is a boating forum and we don’t spend a lot of time discussing diapers or feminine products or about a million other subjects that have nothing to do with boating here? But since you bring it up, I don’t like diapers with feces on them should be just thrown in trash cans either, but instead, when possible should be taken home and put in a sealed container for disposal. But I am more understanding if mothers occasionally have to dispose of a diaper in a public dumpster or trash bin if they’re far from home because unlike “composters” off boats, its not something they planned to do and the quantity is much smaller and hopefully they don’t make a habit of it. I don’t have a problem with used tampons or pads being put in trash bins because they don’t carry pathogens like human feces does. There, now we’ve discussed both. I hope you feel better.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yup. And your point is .

How often have you emptied one of these heads? Or right, never . So thanks for your uninformed opinion.

But didn’t your “yup” just confirm what he just said? Who cares how many he’s emptied if you agree that there’s sometimes some pretty fresh poop in the mix rather than bring all the dirt like product you’ve been claiming it is. I think his point is that’s disgusting and shouldn’t be left in a trash receptacle or dumpster. Fresh poop is sewage, not garbage, so it doesn’t belong in a garbage container. .

[smj]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

But didn’t your “yup” just confirm what he just said? Who cares how many he’s emptied if you agree that there’s sometimes some pretty fresh poop in the mix rather than bring all the dirt like product you’ve been claiming it is. I think his point is that’s disgusting and shouldn’t be left in a trash receptacle or dumpster. Fresh poop is sewage, not garbage, so it doesn’t belong in a garbage container. .

And your the guy that illegaly dumps within the 3 mile line?

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by thinwater

One of the key areas in this discussion has been Annapolis harbor. As of 5-11-2021 it is a no discharge zone, so no type 1s. Only holding tank or dry. (the 3-mile limit is a 2-3 day sail away). There is a pump-out boat and numerous pump stations.


Pump-outs don't work in the winter. They freeze and are closed for ~ 4-5 months. Same with the pump-out boat. So no legal winter solution for holding tank systems, and type 1s need to move out into the main bay and be very careful re. winterization.



This discussion does not have one answer. I'm not pitching one answer.

And apparently composting heads aren’t welcome there either. I actually spent a winter just above the bridge in Spa Creek. My Espar heater kept my boat toasty and a few 100 watt lightbulbs kept pumps from freezing, but in freezing temps, except for urine I didn’t even try to use the onboard head and instead walked up the dock to the restroom at the little marina where I was. So basically for this NDZ the answer for this location during the winter is “none of the above,” you can’t dump and you can’t get your sewage pumped out and you can’t even stay there long if you’re a composter. But except for them not being allowed to stick around, if it were a single person living aboard, in freezing temps with no pumpout, a composting head might be the best option because of its greater capacity over most holding tanks.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

But didn’t your “yup” just confirm what he just said? Who cares how many he’s emptied if you agree that there’s sometimes some pretty fresh poop in the mix rather than bring all the dirt like product you’ve been claiming it is. I think his point is that’s disgusting and shouldn’t be left in a trash receptacle or dumpster. Fresh poop is sewage, not garbage, so it doesn’t belong in a garbage container. .

The implication is that this is somehow wrong or bad. It is not, and it's certainly far less worse than the other examples we've discussed.

Fresh poop is sewage and doesn't belong in our waterways. What you have admited to doing is clearly against the law. Dumping desiccated feces mixed with coir is fully legal. So who's really the one to be condemned?

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

And apparently composting heads aren’t welcome there either.

You're misstating what I reported. No composting heads on moorings, at anchor, or at the municipal slips at City Dock. The City leaves accommodations between slipholders and private marinas between the parties. I know the management of a number of Annapolis marinas and I can be pretty confident of their reaction to a discussion about dumping "compost" in their trash, either bins or dumpsters. "You want to do WHAT?" If there isn't a clause in slipholder contracts about human waste now there would be pretty fast. *grin*

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I actually spent a winter just above the bridge in Spa Creek.

Ah. What is now South Annapolis Yacht Centre. A huge source of local ire.

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

you can’t get your sewage pumped out

You can. If you were indeed at SAYC you can move around to the ramp for the old marine railway and a septic truck can reach you.

If you're living aboard in Annapolis as I did for many years with forced air diesel heat you really don't need to winterize the boat at all so moving is easy. The only issue becomes not scheduling the pumpout truck when there is a long term cold snap.

The NDZ for Annapolis Harbor and other Anne Arundel County waters does not take affect until later this year so would not have applied to you anyway.

[Seabeau]

Let's not ignore the direct possibility, that in the near future, all offshore discharges of sewage could be rendered illegal. That all associated thru-hulls retendered inoperable or eliminated entirely. Think about the impact on your vessel during an extended offshore jaunt.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I only respond when people post false or misleading comments...

First off, you don't have to "handle" your waste. Not unless you consider carrying a couple of containers "handling."

Secondly, your characterization of the end product shows you have no experience, and are just making things up. The end product of a month of use is like a rich, semi-dry soil. It's in no way offensive. It's way less nasty than all that liquid effluent you produce in a holding tank. And yes, holding tanks are fine when it all works, but the stories of tank leaks or toilet problems, or other offensive smells and issues are endless here on CF. Compare that to how many problems compost head users report, and you'll begin to understand why this is just a better way to deal with your waste.

I agree, it is not compost. I've never said otherwise. I know of no one who has made this claim. Straw man. One thing is certain; the end product t is waaaay less offensive and dangerous than a lot of other crap that goes into a marina trash dumpster.

And your perceived risk to others is equally made up. If there was any real threat it would have shown up long ago given the volume of diapers and hygiene material that goes into the waste stream. Name one case of a disease from any of it, over the nearly 100 years of disposable diapers. Name ONE.

I get it... "you don't like the idea." Many people don't like the idea that you dump your holding tank inside the 3nm limit either. They think it is wrong and disgusting. I guess you better stop. (I don't think it's wrong).

And I too have no doubt you'll respond here. No one is forcing you, but I'm sure you'll keep it up .

Why not respond? You’re the one complaining about being tired of it, not me.

As far as handling your waste, you said that these heads require you to be “slightly more intimate with your outflows” and the natures head website suggests dumping the solid waste into a plastic garbage bag so you are handling it in a plastic bag full of somewhat dried feces. Ewwww!

It also says that after removal the “solid waste should be placed in a proper composting bin to allow it to fully decompose” but since those aren’t available on a boat that it may be “safely left in a conventional dumpster ‘IF’ it has been allowed to compost fully” but if the unit has been in regular use that’s impossible too and there will be fresh fecal material mixed in with the older, more composted material. So according to the natures head own guidance on their website, the solids from a unit that’s in regular use is not safe to leave in a dumpster and it turns out that what I’ve been advocating is exactly what the makers of your composting head say too. They also add that “solids that have not been composted for at least a year(!) are not suitable for use on ingestible plants” which suggests that’s how long it takes for human feces to truly decompose so it no longer contains harmful bacteria or viruses.

So unless users of these devices dump their solids at sea as you do, or transport the solids to “a proper composting bin to fully decompose” they are not doing what the makers of your head say is necessary in order to be safe. I don’t know which marinas you visit but I haven’t seen any with a “proper composting bin” that they say is ok for you to put fresh fecal material in.