[HN Gopher] Raising a Stink
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Raising a Stink
Author : horseradish
Score : 65 points
Date : 2021-11-24 17:21 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.guernicamag.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.guernicamag.com)
| dsizzle wrote:
| > Going to the bathroom at a friend's house was an act of
| generosity. It was like leaving a gift.
|
| An idea just in time for Christmas season!
| mattbee wrote:
| Startup idea: toilets that issue receipts.
|
| I don't know what for, the market will find a way.
| pokoleo wrote:
| NFTs
| dharmab wrote:
| It already exists as a curiosity: A toilet that uses waste as
| fuel for a bioreactor and pays "users" in a cryptocurrency:
| https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-
| toil...
| ciconia wrote:
| Come visit us - we have composting toilets in our home.
| Seriously, when people visit and leave such gifts it makes me
| very happy - more organic matter that will return to our
| garden.
|
| Using composting toilets in the last 5,5 years has changed our
| relationship with our waste, and with other waste like cow or
| horse manure. The disgust subsides and you learn to handle it
| just like any other raw material. Humanure is really valuable
| for gardening and fertilizing your soil.
| dsizzle wrote:
| What does the end result look and smell like after it's done
| composting? How long does that take? I always thought
| composting toilets were mostly practical in trailers and
| other non-full-time locations so it's interesting you've
| adopted this in your home! One other advantage must be not
| worrying about clogs?
| bargle0 wrote:
| How do you maintain food safety? Using human waste seems
| dangerous. Harmful bacteria would be part of it, but I'd
| worry about accumulating pharmaceuticals, etc., in it, which
| feudal Japanese people probably didn't have to worry about.
| praptak wrote:
| It's better to give than to receive.
| d883kd8 wrote:
| I wonder if it will be like this when people live in space
| pugworthy wrote:
| Worked for Mark Whatley.
| anthonygd wrote:
| Feels like a clear cut answer: Yes.
| bckr wrote:
| Yes. That we don't do this on the ISS is a shame, and an
| opportunity.
| InfiniteRand wrote:
| I don't think cities providing manure for farming communities is
| unique to Japan, my understanding is it was standard for cities
| until modern era
|
| Bret Devereaux mentions it in his description of pre-modern
| cities https://acoup.blog/2019/07/12/collections-the-lonely-city-
| pa...
| LennyHenrysNuts wrote:
| I understand there are some health concerns about using human
| fertiliser for food with particular regard to the spread of
| disease.
|
| It worked well for the Japanese - I wonder if these health
| concerns are really just our squeamishness?
| rmason wrote:
| In Michigan it's against the law to fertilize crops with human
| waste. Actually knew a farmer in the seventies who got caught
| and was fined for doing it. The reason is because it can spread
| disease causing pathogens to the crop.
|
| I'm not certain how the Japanese got around that. Or perhaps
| people got sick from it and they hadn't yet figured out the
| cause.
| blamazon wrote:
| In the Boston metro area, a portion of the 'sludge' from the MWRA
| Deer Island water treatment plant gets piped underneath the
| Boston Harbor to Quincy, MA where it is turned into fertilizer
| pellets and sold to the public. Very popular for golf courses.
|
| https://www.mwra.com/03sewer/html/sewssc.htm
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