I just built the world's first Squatting Compost Toilet

I wanted to add a squatting feature to Joe Jenkins' Loveable Loo basic compost toilet. Riffing off Jenkins’ design (which is built around a standard U.S. 5 gallon bucket), I decided to add some ergonomics to the baseline bucket-in-a-box toilet concept, incorporating a stool to encourage a squat position.

I also fashioned a new term, stool drop (no, it's probably not what you're thinking), which is the vertical measurement from the bottom of a toilet seat, to the platform your feet rests on.

And, I devised a Squatting Proficiency Chart.

Classification	Stool Drop (inches)	Hip Flexion Angle (degrees)
Standing Up	∞	180° (pooping not recommended in this posture)
Western Non-squatter (“Right Angler”)	usually 16″	90° (not ideal anatomy for elimination)
Newbie Squatter	9″	45°
Moderate Squatter/yogi	7″	35°
Native Squatter	3″	20° to 25°

This prototype model has a 8.5″ stool drop, somewhere in the middle between a newbie and moderate squatter. Future iterations will be designed to adjust the drop height for different users and people of different heights.

They're about to start construction on an additional dwelling unit in my backyard. As soon as I know whether I will need to move my compost bin (the other critical component of a closed loop humanure system), I will start the home humanure flywheel process. I do not wish to have to move a partially poo-filled compost bin!

Thoughts? Feedback on the design?
Read more detail in my blog: Building the World's First(?) Squatting Compost Toilet🙇!

Great, I will feel all the better now.

Austin, I think its cool that you thought about that.  Seems like you'd need to find a place to store the step out of the way when you stand to pee, which might reduce convenience.  I wonder if there is some way to design the step so that it could neatly and quickly fold out of the way somehow.  Similarly I find that an overhang in front of the toilet prevents me from standing closer to the toilet when I stand to pee, making it hard to not make a mess.

We built our Jenkins toilet into a wider bench and I've been squatting on it for a while, which really does seem to help.  Other features my family likes in a wider bench are a compartment for sawdust on one side and feminine products on the other.  We've also found it helpful to have a toilet seat with hinges that can easily snap off so you can clean under the mounts when necessary after our boys use it.

I've often thought about including a wide platform around the toilet seat of my future compost toilet to facilitate squatting. I'd heard its health benefits touted many times and, after spending a couple of years in Asia, I believe them too.

Squatting for any length of time is uncomfortable to someone not used to it so I think it is good to cater for both camps: sitters and squatters. It also gives you options for when you're feeling tired or lazy!

As for the world's first, I'm afraid I've seen quite a few squatting compost toilets in my time. Notable, in Ladakh, the traditional toilets are all composting due to water scarcity in the area. All of their toilets are built for squatting only.

Great design though and a nice build.

Burton Sparks wrote:Seems like you'd need to find a place to store the step out of the way when you stand to pee, which might reduce convenience.  I wonder if there is some way to design the step so that it could neatly and quickly fold out of the way somehow.

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback! I didn't really even consider standing to pee, as I can pee outside in my yard year-round where I live.
I have thought about a fold-away design (like with wheelchair foot rests), but my main concern, not being an engineer, is not having it topple over! For now, I suppose I could make a few cuts in the stool to be able to tuck it back into the base at least.

Burton Sparks wrote:We built our Jenkins toilet into a wider bench and I've been squatting on it for a while, which really does seem to help.

Wow, a full-on squat? That's impressive! Definitely the most pleasant experience, if you've got the flexibility for it.

Good thoughts on the other features, too. I'll keep tinkering with it!

Cheers! 💩