Via Beth Wright of NewEraNews.org

Of the many exotic wonders in Ecuador, composting toilets definitely make it near the top of the list! Found in the tranquil areas of the Cloud Forest and in nature reserves along the coast, these rustic and functional W.C.s create a possibility for people to give back in ways you wouldn’t think possible!

Here’s how it works:

First, dig a not so wide but deep hole. Then, construct an outhouse over the hole (preferably made of bamboo and palmettos for a natural ambiance). It would be good to include a toilet seat for comfort as well. After that, it’s ready to use!

Do your business, whatever it may be, throw approximately 2.5 cups of dirt (or half of a coconut shell) down the hole, let nature do what it does best and voila: COMPOST!

People use the compost for trees that don’t bear fruit and flower gardens, but it’s also possible to fill the hole in with dirt and just leave it be. Imagine it…Music festival bathrooms (currently rancid, chemically ridden port-a-potties) would never look or smell the same! In fact, a delightful side effect from throwing dirt or leaves down the hole after you’re done is the lack of odor. Just good ol’ Mother Nature!

Each time a person flushes a toilet they use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water. Estimating that a person uses the bathroom four to five times a day, that person could be wasting 35 gallons of water a day, 245 gallons a week, and an unreal 12,775 gallons in a year. People that use composting toilets waste 0 gallons of water. Not to mention they are helping to grow plants and trees that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, helping to reduce the effects of climate change.

Not a bad deal, huh?

So, the next time you take a leak, go to the head, or take care of business, remember those few eco-friendly outhouses nestled in the Andean mountains and ask yourself, what can your poo do for you?

Beth Wright is a contributor to NewEraNews.org, where this blog was originally published. She is currently studying in Ecuador and will be posting a series of articles about life down there, what she has learned from her experiences in South America, and what the United States could learn from it.