Periodic Composting Toilet Use

My friends and I purchased land in Tennessee to build / grow on, but for the time being we'll only be in the land periodically. We want to put in a composting toilet but are worried that it won't work properly because there won't consistently be someone there to maintain it. Does anyone know what happens when a composting toilet is only in periodic use? Can we still feasibly do this even without the ability to mix it for a few week spans at a time?

Tooky - take a look at the humanure handbook (downloadable pdf).

You should be able to make it work for you. We have a portable composting loo setup that we use when we have large gatherings or are spending a few days in the woods.

I recommend that you try a bucket system like he uses - when you visit for a few days just empty any deposits to your compost heap and leave it clean for next time. Sawdust is pretty much the best carbon cover you can get for fast hot composting - absorbs all odours and liquids and composts hot enough to kill all pathogens.

Mike

So using a barrel aging system is a no-go if it's not a full time use toilet?

Not sure about that, having never used a barrel aging system, however I know they system described in the humanure handbook will work perfectly - because we do exactly that.