Bruce Thompson has been compost toilet in his Berks County, Penn., cabin for 14 years. Between weekend visits and extended family vacations at the site, he estimates he saves more than 16,000 gallons of water a year through the toilet compared to what a low-flush toilet would have used for the same amount of use.

Compost toilets use no water, instead relying on liquid waste to provide the necessary moisture for the composting process. ©GreenWorks photo by Dan Simon

"It gets used year round," he said. "We use the cabin for long weekends, and sometimes weeks at a time. Because I have a large family, 10 kids, it's sometimes used beyond the norm every weekend. We were just there for 14 days, getting back the day after Labor Day.

"I've had my son, his wife, and two little kids living there for three months straight, and we were there on the weekends too."

Thompson, who recalls buying the compost toilet on sale more than 14 years ago, says it's never really required much in the way of maintenance.

"Actually, I was wondering why the fan hasn't burned out on me yet," he said. "Aside from the vanity type door that keeps the untutored from seeing the compost pile they're about to enlarge, the metal parts gave up the ghost from corrosion. So for the past seven years, you had a view.

"It really hasn't required any maintenance aside from the normal emptying the tray, but I think I may need some soon because it's an older model. Even then, you never get an outhouse smell in the bathroom."

Thompson estimates he saves about 16,000 gallons of water a year by using the compost toilet.