Excess nutrients leached from septic systems pollute our ground water from here to the Chesapeake Bay.
Instead of a conventional septic, ThorpeWood uses a nutrient recycling system that returns nutrients to the earth. Clivus Multrum composting toilets convert human waste (solid and liquid) and food scraps into odor-free and safe-to-handle solid compost and liquid fertilizer. Whereas the typical toilet uses between 1.6 and 8 gallons per flush, the Clivus uses no water for flushing and a negligible amount of water in the collection chamber. Pine mulch and red worms help the composting process. Air flowing into the toilet initiates sanitation of fecal matter and sanitizes fixture surfaces without
the use of chemicals, while fans pull air down the toilet chutes and out vents in one of the roof windows, keeping restrooms odor-free. After flowing through the composting box, the composted liquid is stored in a large tank for occasional landscape use. The full decomposition process takes approximately five years. Almost 2000 gallons of this nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer is generated per year – our plants and flowers love it. About two bushels of compost are generated each year.