Nature Calls Going green? Consider eco-friendly composting toilets. BY BOB VAVREK

he Rules of Golf costs can skyrocket. address the issue Equally diffi cult and Tof providing expensive is the players relief from process of procuring immovable obstructions, permits for holding such as cart paths or tanks and septic or sprinkler heads. mound systems, not to However, they don’t mention the additional address the kind of cost of performing relief players need on percolation tests, the third or fourth hole inspections, etc. Any after several cups of club- way you look at it, a house coffee. When basic structure, with nature calls, the call plumbing, can easily must be answered, so cost $50,000 or much comfort stations need to more, with the sky the be available at conven- limit if you want the ient locations through- facilities in a remote out a golf course. area of the course. Several types of A waterless com- comfort facilities are posting toilet system available for golf can be an alternative to courses. They range traditional golf course from renting a basic restroom facilities. portable toilet to the They are particularly construction of a well suited for comfort permanent restroom The modern composting toilet is a considerable upgrade from the facilities in inaccessible facility complete with smelly, dark pit-latrines we recall from childhood camping trips. Exteriors areas of the course indoor plumbing for can be customized to suit tastes that range from elegant to utilitarian. where plumbing and toilets and sinks. waste management Most golfers are more than a little complete with cedar shake shingles are either unavailable or cost apprehensive about using a portable and a slate roof. prohibitive. toilet, especially one sitting in the hot Obviously, this is not an option for Mention a composting toilet to some- sun all day. There’s the smell caused budget-minded facilities when you con- one in the United States and it usually by a lack of ventilation and question- sider the high price of extending water conjures up an image of a crude pit able sanitation. Then there is the lines to a remote area of the course. latrine they were forced to use as a problem of locating the unit in an area Add the labor costs of winterizing the child during a family camping trip. The where it can be conveniently serviced lines and plumbing every season at iconic rural outhouses are indeed the by a waste disposal truck, instead of northern courses. Granted, you may ancestors of present-day composting concealing it in a site where it is truly be able to reduce costs by tapping into toilets. Necessity is the mother of needed. Then again, a port-a-john is the irrigation system for non-potable invention, and there was defi nitely a still better than nothing. water, but the facility still needs to be need for an outhouse to evolve. On the other end of the spectrum addressed. Composting toilet systems were are the opulent thrones for the royal Tapping into an extended sewer line developed in Sweden during the membership. No expense is spared for is one option for human waste manage- 1930s, and the fi rst commercial model a tastefully designed structure that ment. However, securing the permits to of the Clivus Multrum (Swedish for includes indoor plumbing with potable extend a sewer line may require an act “sloping chamber”) was available in water, electricity, ventilation, and, if the of Congress in some municipalities, and 1964. This technology reached the climate dictates, air conditioning. The let’s hope the existing line is located United States in the early 1970s, and style may complement the clubhouse, on or near golf course property, or the the design has been modifi ed and

Green Section Record Vol. 49 (3) TGIF Record Number 174785 January 21, 2011 Page 1 improved several times since then. to maintain consistent levels of Several useful links to composting Modern versions of the Clivus Multrum microbial activity. toilet information: designed for outdoor, commercial use Sunnehanna Country Club, a http://oikos.com/library/ can be found at a number of parks and classic Tillinghast layout in Johnstown, compostingtoilet/ a few golf courses scattered around Pennsylvania, has had no regrets the country. installing a composting toilet system in http://www.nsf.org/business/search_ The Clivus technology spawned a remote area of the course 12 years site/search.asp many other types of composting toilet ago. According to Gary Weaver, http://www.clivusmultrum.com/ designs for home, recreation, and CGCS, the unit requires only a few products_trailhead_design.shtml commercial uses. However, all perform hours of annual maintenance, has no http://www.best-composting-toilet. the same basic action of converting a odor, requires no water, and produces com/ great deal of human sewage into a no raw sewage or liquid waste. very small amount of compost within Explore the various options for http://www.sun-mar.com/ an enclosed system. They also share composting toilets; the long-term http://www.comparethebrands.com/ the same challenges of controlling benefi ts may far outweigh the initial compare/134 odor and providing the best possible cost of installation. Any of the popular conditions for rapid composting. manufacturers can provide ample BOB VAVREK is a senior agronomist In general, all units depend on some references from golf courses using in the USGA Green Section North type of negative ventilation to their systems. Central Region. constantly draw air down through the toilet, into the compost chamber and out through a vent to manage odor. Dependable, low-maintenance fans are available and use very little power, and most structures can be modifi ed easily to use solar panels. In fact, a solar-powered composting toilet just may provide the ultimate eco-friendly restroom. Composting toilets are sized accord- ing to the anticipated usage. Toilets at remote areas of golf courses are generally used far less than restrooms in the clubhouse, so most courses only need a small unit, which produces less compost. Less compost is a good thing because, eventually, someone will need to remove the compost from the unit. The removal and disposal of com- post derived from human waste may be subject to state, county, or municipal regulations, and a good place to initiate inquiries is your local county sanitation department. On a positive note, these systems generate minute amounts of compost and may only need to be serviced for disposal once every few years or longer, depending on usage. It’s a small price to pay for reducing the load on your waste stream. Some units may require a limited amount of maintenance, including small additions of bulking agents, such as sawdust or wood chips, at infrequent intervals. Other units designed to evaporate liquid waste may require a Interiors can be designed to rival the features found in your bathroom at home little water to be added to the compost (images courtesy of Clivus Multrum).

Green Section Record Vol. 49 (3) January 21, 2011 Page 2