Proper disposal of your waste is one of the wisest things you can do to extend some love to the environment. Although digging catholes or using WAG bags can help, they are not as effective as Composting Toilets.
Composting Toilets work aerobically to disinfect your waste and convert it into organic manure, safe for plants and animal health. Without a doubt, composting toilets are your best bet if you plan to go outdoors soon.
Best Composting Toilets: Our Top 6 Picks
- Best Overall: Nature’s Head Self-Contained Composting Toilet
- Best Budget: Luggable Loo Portable Toilet
- Most Comfortable Option: STANSPORT Portable Camp Toilet
- Best for Traveling: Camco 41541 Portable Travel Toilet
- Best Splurge: Porta Potti 92306 White Thetford Corp
- Best Compact: Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet
Below are the reviews of the best composting toilets you can find on the market. Read through them to pick your favorite composting toilet.
Best Overall: Nature’s Head Self-Contained Composting Toilet
Nature Head’s self-contained composting toilet is the top most composite toilet on our list. We love it because of its lightweight, compact and odorless nature, making it a perfect fit for use in a cabin, at home, recreational vehicles, workshop, boat, and other small spaces.
Additionally, the 28 pounds composting toilet boasts a huge capacity. According to feedback by a user, two people using it full time can empty the solid waste in nature’s toilet after four to six weeks, depending on the volume of their logs.
The toilet features a separate compartment for urine, which should be emptied after two to three days. Urine smells quickly, and you need to get rid of it before it makes your space smelly.
The self-contained composting toilet’s sturdy plastic construction and stainless steel hardware make it ideal for all-weather applications.
You can easily install and use the toilet following the manufacturer’s manual. One good thing you will experience with this machine is its efficiency in energy and water consumption.
For best results, turn the spider handle at the side of the toilet to rotate the agitator to mix the pee, bacteria, oxygen, moisture, and heat evenly for quicker composting. Remember to add the decomposing bacteria with a composting medium like coco coir before using the toilet.
The other features contributing to the efficiency of this composting toilet include:
- The 12 volts inbuilt fan draws fresh air into the toilet and forces foul air to the outside
- A hose allows for the passage of foul smells from the composting bin to the outside
Best Budget: Luggable Loo Portable Toilet
With a 20 liter capacity and a sturdy plastic design with an easy-to-carry handle, the Luggage Loo Portable Toilet is the best toilet for all your outdoor operations. You can use it for activities such as fishing, camping, and hunting expeditions.
The portable toilet is compatible with Reliance’s Double Doodie™ toilet waste bag. You can use the combination to get rid of waste, to relieve yourself from the burden of doing waste cleanup.
You can use the convenient handle at the bottom of the machine to enhance your pouring control.
The lightweight nature of 3.1 lbs and compact size (34 x 37 x 32.5 inches) allow easy mobility, installation, and use. Also, the snap lid mechanism allows easy cleaning.
Most Comfortable Option: STANSPORT Portable Camp Toilet
STANSPORT Portable toilet is your go-to unit if you are looking for a portable toilet that will give you the comfort of your home while in the outdoors. It features sturdy plastic construction to overcome weather extremes while in the outdoors. Also, its rugged plastic walls are strong enough to offer you sufficient support as you do your business.
The efficiency of this toilet is further enhanced by:
- Inbuilt handles for easy transportation
- Disposable sanitary bags for holding the waste. However, only a few sanitary bags are included in the toilet bucket. You can buy additional waste bags separately to ensure that you don’t run short of them while outdoors.
- Lightweight nature and inbuilt handles for easy transportation
- A full-sized seat to let you do your business comfortably
- A sturdy and full-size lid for closing the toilet bucket and keeping your pee’s foul smell from escaping to the outside
- The compact size (Size 14 X 14 X 11 inches) allows easy installation in the RV, campsite, or any other outdoor space
Best for Traveling: Camco 41541 Portable Travel Toilet
Camco 41541 Travel Toilet features a lightweight and compact polyethylene construction for easy portability and installation in recreational vehicles, boats, camps, or other recreational spaces.
On the top section of the toilet, there is a 2.5 gallon flush tank, a toilet seat, a bowl, and a lid. After your business, turn the bellows-type pump on the side of the toilet to flush the waste into the 5.3 waste holding tank.
If the water in the flush tank is too little to clear your waste, open the cap on top of the flush water tank to refill the tank and then replace the cap.
On the bottom section, there is a 5.3 gallon waste tank. The 5.3 gallon tank features a sliding gate valve, which opens to allow for the passage of waste, and then closes to prevent the bad smell from escaping into your space. Securing the waste inside the 5.3 gallon waste tank gives the biodegradable toilet chemical (comes with the toilet) time to break down the waste into organic manure.
You can always buy the biodegradable toilet chemicals separately if they run out. After all, you don’t want to dispose of unsightly waste into the environment. Be more eco-friendly!
To empty the waste tank, detach it from the rest of the toilet, ferry it to the dumping zone and then open the cap on its side to empty it. The toilet is easy to carry using the handle attached to the side of the toilet.
Best Splurge: Porta Potti 92306 White Thetford Corp
Get the comfort of a fully functional home toilet using the Porta Potti 92306 White Thetford Corp Toilet. It boasts a four-gallon tank that holds fresh water for flushing your waste, and a 5.5 gallon tank that receives and holds the waste.
When full tank, the four gallon freshwater tank can allow you to make up to 56 flushes before going empty. The integrated flush water pump allows you to wash away the waste within the blink of an eye.
On the other hand, the 5.5 gallon waste tank features a sealing valve, which opens to allow for the passage of the waste and closes to prevent the bad odor from escaping to your space.
Included also in the waste tank is an exclusive pour-out spout for emptying the tank.
The other features contributing to the efficiency of this toilet include:
- The integrated toilet paper holder
- Level indicators for the wastewater tank and the fresh water tank
- Compact size (17.7 x 15.2 x 17.6 inches) to allow for efficient installation and application in RVs, vans, trucks, boats, camps, or any other recreational space
- Removable seat and a cover for comfortable use and easy cleaning
Best Compact: Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet
Sun-Mar GTG Composting Toilet is the final product on our list. It boasts a four-gallon fresh water tank, giving you more than 50 flushes on a single fill. It has a 5.5 gallon waste water tank for holding the wastewater temporarily before pouring.
Additionally, the toilet seat is detachable for easy cleaning and access to internal components like the composting chamber.
The other features contributing to the efficiency of this toilet include:
- The integrated toilet paper holder for keeping the toilet paper within reach
- The electric flush water pump for flushing away your waste
- A pour out spout in the waste bin for emptying the waste
- A built-in fan for drawing oxygen from the outside to support the aerobic process
- Lightweight and compact design for easy portability and installation
Buying Guide: Factor to Consider When Choosing Composting Toilets
When choosing composting toilets, you need something that will operate efficiently outdoors. Below are the considerations you need to make to land the best composting toilet on the market.
NSF Certification
Before buying a given toilet, you should ensure that its construction materials and decomposing chemicals have been tested and proven safe for human use. You should check for NSF certification or certification from an individual third-party organization to confirm this.
Capacity
The capacity of the flush water tank and the waste holding tank should be large enough to flush and accommodate your waste for a long period before disposal. Check for the indicated number of uses/ the number of people and go for the toilet with your favorite number of uses.
Plumbing and Electrical Requirements
Some composting toilets need plumbing hook-up or connection to an electrical supply to function, while others are self-contained. Confirm the installation requirements before buying to ensure that they match your needs. We recommend the self-contained option if you are operating off the grid.
Ease of Emptying
Some units will require you to open the entire unit when emptying, while others have detachable compartments for urine and solid waste. We highly advocate for ones with detachable compartments as they simplify your emptying job.
Size and Weight
Before committing your hard-earned money, you want to ensure that the toilet in question is perfect for your installation space. The best way to achieve this is to take the measurements of the length, width, and height of your installation space and then compare them with the toilet sizes to pick the one that fits well.
Frequently Asked Questions About Composting Toilets
Below are answers to common questions that people have asked about composting toilets.
How frequently should I empty my composting toilet?
The timeframe for emptying a composting toilet varies depending on the number of users and its capacity. For instance, two people using the standard toilet full time may have to empty the toilet after three weeks. Typically, the emptying period will reduce as the number of users increases.
Do composting toilets need ventilation?
Yes. Composting toilets need ventilation to rid the excess moisture and get enough oxygen for the aerobic process.
Are composting toilets smelly?
If properly maintained, composting toilets aren’t smelly. Good maintenance practices include:
- Emptying the urine compartment regularly
- Treating solid waste
- Cleaning the entire system after every disposal
What substrate options can I use in my composting toilet?
The popular substrates for a composting toilet include shavings, coconut coir, chopped straw, compressed wood pellets, and sawdust. You can also use fine organic materials like shredded garden pruning and dried leaves, provided that they have fully dried and absorbent.
Final Words
Now that you know the best composting toilets and their selection criteria, it’s now upon you to pick the one that perfectly meets your needs. Our best overall product on the list is the Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet. We liked this unit because it’s lightweight, odorless, and easy to install. Also, the unit comes at a friendly price, making it stand out from the crowd.
However, this does not mean that the other units on our list are of compromised quality. As mentioned earlier, we picked the best composting toilets you can find on the market. So, do not hesitate to pick any of them.
