The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition

Everyone should read this book, even if they have no intention or ability to use a humanure composting system. It provides a wealth of information on a subject that has been ignored for too long...human waste - how to dispose of it in a sensible, sustainable, practical, useful manner. We haven't flushed a toilet in this house in eight months, since we got this book and built our own sawdust toilet and composting box out back. We had a serious drought here this summer and our well was REAL low, but we had no problems because we weren't FLUSHING FOUR GALLONS OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER UNDERGROUND each time we went in the bathroom. I always wondered why we eliminate in water, anyway. And it doesn't stink, the compost box doesn't stink, it's simple and straightforward and clean and the humanure toilet's time has come! Everybody who comes in our house gets dragged into the bathroom by my husband to meet our new humanure toilet! Then I drag them outside to meet my wonderful compost box! So far we've had one convert, a couple with a camp who were using a stinking old outhouse, and they are just thrilled with the idea of using a humanure toilet next summer when they move back to camp. As a bonus, our electric bill dropped substantially, just because the water pump doesn't have to kick on every time a toilet is flushed. Buy this book, read it, start using a humanure toilet, tell all your friends, lend the book to your friends, do it now! Then read Joe Jenkins' other book, "Balance Point."

I've been longing for a book like this; a book that brings a thoroughly convincing, simple answer to a huge problem that we all share. For a while now, I've been immensely interested in attempting live off-grid, and the reality of my own craps has been a planning concern. Septic is pretty pricey when you're not looking to spend much money and looking to do things yourself. I've ready some of Bill Mollison (the founder of "permaculture") and he gives some interesting do-it-yourself techniques for ways to use your poop (such as turning it into methane/energy production), but they all seem to imply a lot more money and complexity than the simplicity of composting. Perhaps Bill mentions the straightforward composting of human manure in other books, but his "Designer's Manual" did not mention it.Composting our manure makes much sense, for it seems quite likely that there's many nutrients in our manure - especially if you eat wholesome foods. When you consider that the heat of the properly constructed compost pile (typically around 120 degrees) is, supposedly, according to the author and the impressive documentation he cites, entirely sufficient to destroy all pathogens that may be found in human manure .... it begs the question: why haven't we been doing this? And why instead are we all pooping in our drinking water?

Seriously - this is a great book!The author's use of some slightly stinky words is humorously done and for the most part helps one to loosen up a little over a touchy subject.I have owned a commercial composting toilet for several years and never experience any problems with it - but never have I experienced any benefits (aside from saving 1,000's of gallons of water I guess... :P ) but with the author's suggestions I will change that.I was put off a little by the author's opening remarks about "global warming" and other such nonsense. Al Gore was and is wrong - Carbon dioxide levels increase following temperature increases - they don't bring them about. The earth has has ice ages and warm spells for thousands of years before humans showed up on the scene and they will likely continue after we are gone. That's all an aside - it doesn't change the author's very valuable message: Composting and recycling of human "waste" is the right thing to do regardless of the reasons one chooses to do it. I still use compact fluorescents and conserve energy wherever I can - but not for made-up reasons.Back to the subject at hand - this is a great book and I only hope that perusing it will convince some of the "Fecophobes" that re-using our bodily products after properly composting them is safe, beneficial, and preserves our precious fresh water supply.Read the book, become a believer!

This is a good book on composting human waste. It gives you much info on germs, viruses and parasites, and how to reliably kill them. This is a small chapter on composting toilets available for purchase, with more diagrams or photos of them than written data. I was happy with my purchase.

I started by reading the 4th edition online pdf for free. Later, I bought a used copy of this third edition, only because I prefer the title to not have the cutesy and irreverent subtitle "--it in a nutshell."Haven't actually read the third edition, yet, but zero doubts that it is just as useful as the 4th.If you are on the fence about buying the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, or first edition, find the online version on the author's website. Then, after your mind is blown, consider buying a copy to support his work.You could also check out his youtube videos, rather short, but illustrative.It doesn't take very many pages of reading to trust the author knows what he's talking about. But there are potentially huge "getting started" barriers. Like, "what if he is exaggerating when he says there is no odor?" Do I have enough space for a pallet compost bin? Do I want to tell people about this? I could see a lot of people seeing the title and never bother reading it (fecophobia), but if you are open minded enough to read it, you will likely be convinced. Then you will be searching for sawdust, or buying peat moss, as well as a few buckets, and building a lovable loo. Or finding a vintage chamber pot commode, or camping toilet. The other impediment is that it will take close to two years before you can use the finished product. Best wishes!

Escatológico, diriam muitos, mas menos percebem o quão absurda é nossa cultura de usar água potável para dar-se a descarga em uma privada, transformando resíduos orgânicos seguramente compostáveis em problemas ambientais cada vez mais graves.

Excellente libro para aquellos que desean saber como hacer compost usando excrementos humanos!

zur Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema, beste Wahl. Viele Anregungen und Hilfestellungen, sich mit dem Thema zu beschäftigen und endlich den A. hoch zu bekommen. Leider entzündet das Buch auch den Wunsch, mehr verändern zu wollen als schon das eigene direkte Umfeld mit zu tragen zu wollen mag.

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Jenkins explains a solution so profound and yet so simple that most minds are repelled. Where I live there is a huge controversy over needed upgrades and new waste-water facilities; numbers from $200 million to $800 million are thrown around on the news updates. I wish I could buy a copy of this book for everyone on city council. Everyone in North America is holding out for some tech-fix to allow us to not change the way we deal with our own sh*t, but the answer is to recover the resource through composting. No infrastructure, electricity, ventilation, or water needed. This author deserves a Nobel Prize.