Loveable Loo Thoughts: Larger receptables to allow for a larger toilet seat?

I built my first "Loveable Loo" (Joe Jenkin's compost toilet example from Humanure Handbook) and had a couple of thoughts along the way.

The first was why 3/4" plywood was used. It seemed overkill. However, it makes sense when you're fastening directly into the plywood, on end. 1/2" plywood would probably split and not hold as well.

I also wondered about the legs. In my case, I had plywood scrap already in mostly the right sizes, so I skipped the legs (it just sits on the sides.) I think the legs are pretty optional, but might be helpful with leveling.

Overall, the system seems to work well and it's mostly just fine-tuning it. I need to get a good supply of sawdust to replace my use of peat moss. I suspect the peat moss isn't quite as good for absorbing odor and that it doesn't add enough carbon to the pile. I don't think it's impossible to use, just not quite as good as sawdust.

I have wondered if anyone has found alternative ideas for receptacles. Specifically, alternatives to the 5 gallon buckets. The 5 gallon buckets are fine, but it'd be nice to be able to use the large toilet seats that I'm so accustomed to. I suspect the wheelie-bin design is one method, but they sure are on the large side for indoor use (depending on how they are implemented.)

Kitty litter boxes come to mind, but I'm not sure they're quite right, either. I could see something the height of the 5 gallon bucket, or close to it, and as long as a large toilet seat might get to be quite heavy when full, so would have to be cautious to not make it too heavy depending on who has to pick it up. Of course you wouldn't want it breaking on you, either.

I use 5-gallon buckets and have to remove them before they get full because I can’t lift the weight of a full bucket.

In order to use the wider seat you prefer, a kitty litter or other bucket that has a corresponding lid would be fine. You could switch it out before it gets full if weight is an issue.

My bucket sits on the floor and when it comes up through the wood and everything is closed, some of the wood makes a collar around the bucket so that the bucket is now flush with or a little above the top of the wooden deck

One note: whatever toilet seat you use, be sure to run a gasket on the bottom side of the toilet seat where it meets the wood and the bucket below to keep out flies. It is important to have that seal to deter flies. Ask me how I know🙄

The added photo was taken before I added the gasket onto the bottom of the toilet seat.

I'm working on this very problem! However, I am coming at it from a different perspective. I am developing a prototype "full squat" composting toilet that leverages the Lovable Loo design.

The dimensions of such a toilet are ellipsoid (not circular). Here's a typical squat toilet model:



A hole of this shape would necessitate an elongated toilet seat and based on my rough calculations, an off-the-shelf seat would work.

I discovered that there are such things as oval plastic buckets with tight-fitting lids:

source
The catch is that I can't find anyone in the U.S. who carries them, so they would need to be ordered from overseas (unless and until someone manufactures them here and/or they otherwise become more widely available.)

With the oval bucket, an elongated toilet seat box would just need to be a few inches longer to Jenkins' Lovable Loo round bucket model.

I've got some design issues that still need to be worked out with the squatting part, but the other pieces fit together.

After prototyping, if I like how it works, I'd be willing to order a large amount of those buckets (5000 e.g.) A given family would only need say 4 of them and they look to be as durable as the round ones.

I have seen one built around a big stock pot.  Seems like it could get REALLY awkward though.

I also have a few clamp top 8-10 gallon drums. They are about the same height as a five gallon bucket but larger lid. They came from a diesel truck shop and were used for shipping parts (catalytic converter or DPF)

A restaurant bus tub is designed to carry heavier things, comes with a lid,and is designed to be stacked.
If that is too wide and not deep enough, a Rubbermaid Roughneck tote seems like it would work.