If we all had outhouses in the back yard, we'd be ready for an emergency that involved no running water in our houses.
I have been thinking about toilets that don't flush. During an emergency, we want our homes and bathrooms to be as clean and pleasant as possible. We will need to instruct our family members on how to use the toilet. We need to have a plan for human waste disposal.
I recently called the city of Victorville's emergency preparedness director. I asked him if the city had a policy in place that was similar to what some other cities have regarding sanitation during emergencies.
Some cities have instructed their residents, during times when there is no running water, to bury a trash bin in the yard and use this bin to put bagged solid human waste in. Then, the city will arrange to pick up this waste later.
I was told Victorville currently has no such plan. He did say this:
Pick a spot in your back yard where you will dump all the liquid waste (urine).
men and boys can stand and urinate at this spot. The gals will feel more comfortable urinating into the toilet with a plastic bowl in the toilet to catch the urine. Then they can carry it outside and dump it in the designated spot.
The preparedness director said yes,it would be a good idea to sink a trash can into the ground and use it for solid waste since human feces can carry disease causing micro-organisms. In contrast, urine (unless there is a kidney or bladder infection going on)is quite sterile.
When a family member needs to have a bowel movement, they can use the 13 gallon trash bags and "bag the toilet". Then they can tie it closed with a knot and carry the bag out to the designated trash bin. I imagine that if you cannot dig a hole to sink the bin into the ground, you can put some heavy bricks in the bottom so the trash bin won't tip over easily and have a good secure lid. I will do more research on this subject.
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