Green Daily

Yes I went there. While the thought of using your own (or your family's) fecal matter in the compost pile might make you throw up a little in your mouth, it's becoming a popular topic among the self-sustainable community. It's certainly nothing new -- smaller countries have been doing it for generations -- but would it ever be something considered in the "civilized" western world?

The concept is fairly simple. Instead of using several gallons of water and an expensive sewage system to dispose of our feces, we go in a bucket and cover it with saw dust to eliminate odor. When the bucket is full, it goes into the compost pile right along with the yard clippings and food scraps. You'd be surprised at the ingenuity some people have come up with regarding these humanure systems. Of course, I don't think I need to tell you of the potential disease risks involved with handling raw feces, but once composted, it is harmless fertilizer for your garden.