# The Poop in SHTF



## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

In a previous post, I described how, during SHTF, without a septic system, what goes down the toilet will end up in places detrimental to the health of our communities. Granted, many preppers in this situation might say, "So what? Everyone else is using their toilets. What I contribute to that disaster is small compared to the total." My hope is that, regardless of what everyone else is doing, you will be responsible for your own shit.

If you decide to take responsibility for the proper disposal of your family's feces, you will have to decide on a method. After extensively researching this area, I'd like to propose some solutions, and I invite other members to propose others they know of.

*Build an Outhouse*
An outhouse is an excellent idea, as long as it is portable, (so that it can be re-positioned over another hole), and keeps flies away from the feces, (which would help reduce diseases spread by flies).

The next 3 options require that deposits are made into a 5 gal. bucket and emptied periodically. You can buy cheap airtight toilet covers for 5 gal. buckets. I also recommend that you use separate buckets for urine and feces. Mixing them together creates a horrible stench, and the urine can be aged for 30+ days, then used as fertilizer.

Unless you are going to compost your feces, you can deodorize it by covering it with wood ash whenever you use the poop bucket. It also keeps flies away, as insects avoid ash.

*Bag it*
I've heard preppers recommend that people poop into a plastic bag, then tie it up, and dispose of it in a garbage bag outside. This could work as long as you don't run out of plastic bags.

*Bury it*
Raw feces must be buried under at least 8 inches of soil. Otherwise, it will seep to the surface after repeated rainfalls, contaminating the shoes of anyone walking on that spot with harmful bacteria. It also should never be used as fertilizer, because it is not nutritious to plants until it is broken down. Furthermore, bacteria and parasite eggs can be carried on vegetables grown in it.

*Compost it*
In my opinion, the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of feces is to compost it. However, feces will not compost unless certain requirements are met. Ideal composting occurs when the total carbon/nitrogen ratio in a pile is apx. 30/1. Feces has a very high nitrogen content, and requires something with a very high carbon content to compost. This can be supplied best with ground wood or sawdust. (Leaves and grass are not good enough.) If you're going to compost feces, use sawdust to cover it in the bucket instead of ash. Ash will inhibit composting. Water the compost with rainwater, not urine. -and make sure you mix the compost every few days. After a year, you may apply it to vegetables, as long as you sterilize it first, to kill latent parasite eggs. At this point, it won't smell bad.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Good advice, even though it is an unpleasant subject. Remember, cholera is even more unpleasant.

I wish I could find the thread with the poster who dried his poo into bricks and used it for fuel in his woodstove. A novel sanitation solution, to say the least.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

I done told ya guys, come SHTF .... I aint shakin' hands with nobody!


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

My friend's and hero's from Vietnam may be able to expound on this more than I...just thought I'd share.

View attachment 63722


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Slippy said:


> My friend's and hero's from Vietnam may be able to expound on this more than I...just thought I'd share.
> 
> View attachment 63722


Still being done today by soldiers and marines....


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## morganrogue (Dec 13, 2017)

Yes great advice. I can’t remember what show it was but it was some SHTF show and they were checking to see if the toilets still worked. Presumably, they were just using the toilets the whole series which didn’t make sense. I know it’s just a show but come on. 

Anyway, burying it I think will be the easier at first. Composting is a great idea, I did that with chicken feces. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Found this link..enjoy!

SBD


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## SGT E (Feb 25, 2015)

I answered this question years ago...lots of cheap plastic shopping bags and a water balloon slingshot....let your kids target practice off your far neighbors garage door!


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

Slippy said:


> My friend's and hero's from Vietnam may be able to expound on this more than I...just thought I'd share.
> 
> View attachment 63722


I burned my share of crap on the back side of Desert Storm.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

morganrogue said:


> Yes great advice. I can't remember what show it was but it was some SHTF show and they were checking to see if the toilets still worked. Presumably, they were just using the toilets the whole series which didn't make sense. I know it's just a show but come on.
> 
> Anyway, burying it I think will be the easier at first. Composting is a great idea, I did that with chicken feces.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Actually, almost all toilets will work during a complete electrical outage, as long as you manually fill the tank. Almost all sewage stations are designed to automatically shunt the overflow into nearby bodies of water (reservoirs excepted), or leeching fields if the pumps don't work. Not good for public health.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Old SF Guy said:


> Still being done today by soldiers and marines....


But what will the neighbors think? More aptly, in a city or suburb, what will they do to you?


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## morganrogue (Dec 13, 2017)

TGus said:


> Actually, almost all toilets will work during a complete electrical outage, as long as you manually fill the tank. Almost all sewage stations are designed to automatically shunt the overflow into nearby bodies of water (reservoirs excepted), or leeching fields if the pumps don't work. Not good for public health.


For short term yes, I was talking about long term. I'm not sure the sewage system would work long term? I'm no sewage expert though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Problem solved here, town has no sewerage system, I have my own.

Mine was pumped out this last summer, first time in 25 years, don't think I will need to have it done again.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

In Thailand we had to burn our shit in 55 gallon drums cut in half ... The benefit of being a sergeant is you do not have to stir the shit or add diesel - you just have to supervise the guys adding the diesel and stirring the shit


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

TGus said:


> Actually, almost all toilets will work during a complete electrical outage, as long as you manually fill the tank. Almost all sewage stations are designed to automatically shunt the overflow into nearby bodies of water (reservoirs excepted), or leeching fields if the pumps don't work. Not good for public health.


unless you are thee guy on the low side that has a grinder and pump to push the shit up hill... the saying "Shit rolls down hill" is used for a reason...

I use to live in one of the low spots that had a grinder and a pump... the sewer line ran uphill from my location... shtf - only solution is concrete as a plug because is the one way flap breaks or pump leaks... your basement will be a bad place to visit

even the folks that have a hill in their favor will suffer if there is a back up.....

shtf... be prepared to plug the potential INLET


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Maine-Marine said:


> unless you are thee guy on the low side that has a grinder and pump to push the shit up hill... the saying "Shit rolls down hill" is used for a reason...
> 
> I use to live in one of the low spots that had a grinder and a pump... the sewer line ran uphill from my location... shtf - only solution is concrete as a plug because is the one way flap breaks or pump leaks... your basement will be a bad place to visit
> 
> ...


If the above situation is even possible to occur, you better have something that can do the job right. There's a special pump-up plug for that you can buy at a plumbing supply store, that doesn't cost much. If there's a lot of back-pressure behind the plug, I would recommend concrete behind it too.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Slippy said:


> My friend's and hero's from Vietnam may be able to expound on this more than I...just thought I'd share.
> 
> View attachment 63722


As long as ya gots some diesel fuel..........................

Did I ever tell you the story of the Cherry Boy (another term for FNG) who, when told to "burn the shitter", did exactly that? :vs_lol:


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I am really going to piss the neighbors off. :devil:


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

From a medical stand point this is a pretty important subject. If you do not know what field sanitation stands for please for your families sake learn. I will post some books.

I am trying to get my wife to let me buy a porta john. I have found several on Craigslist that are to bad on their price. Once I do get one I want to cut the bottom of the storage tank out. I will position it over a deeply dug hole. Place a stake on each side of it and put a ratchet strap over it, hook it to the stakes and tighten. Keep in mind there is not any weight to hold it down with the bottom cut out.

View attachment us_army_cc_md0728_poultry_ii.pdf


View attachment us_army_cc_md0712_poultry_i.pdf


View attachment MDCOMMUNICABLE_DISEASES_AND_FIELD_SANITATION.pdf


View attachment EHB_Sanitation_EN_watermark.pdf


View attachment Cholera_Emergency.pdf


View attachment latrine.pdf


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Here is some more files.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

The medical problems of being a nasty ass.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

More medical sanitation books.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I plan on the outhouse solution. Served my ancestors well.


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## yooper_sjd (May 14, 2017)

outhouse or slit trench. still buried in the long run. But I do have my own septic, and an unused buried septic off of the garage as well.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

speaking of out houses... we use to put ashes from the wood stove (after they had cooled) onto the top of the crap ...it would keep the smell and insects down and aids in decomposition


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Maine-Marine said:


> speaking of out houses... we use to put ashes from the wood stove (after they had cooled) onto the top of the crap ...it would keep the smell and insects down and aids in decomposition


Never heard of that until now. Makes sense. The only thing I have seen and heard of before is using lime after you defecated. Just sprinkle a litte of the lime when your done.


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I helped close out an old rotted outhouse as a kid. We decided to burn it then fill in the hole with the ash and piled up dirt over it. It had been used to long and allowed to fill up over the level of the ground. Close out when it gets to 1 foot of the ground level. 

We built anther, not hard , simple wood construction. Dug the hole then pulled the outhouse over top of it. If you can vent the box by running a piece of pvc from the back of the box thru the roof- better out the back of the box and up the outer wall, then use a piece of screen over the top to keep flies from going in and out vie the pipe. Box needs to be tight if not use screening the idea is to keep flies from getting in or out of the hole. You box needs a tight fitting lid . Hinges are nice but not needed. 

The outhouse is not needed if you are in the woods just the tight box you sit on . But for privacy you will want one. You do not need to build it to tight you want it vented . You do want it to be dry if you don't want to wait until it is done raining . 


Lots of good references posted - but everything you need is in FM 21-10 Field Sanitation Team


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

MaterielGeneral said:


> The medical problems of being a nasty ass.


I looked at the Cholera Emergency info, and it was pretty good, so I put it on a thumb drive.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Camel923 said:


> I plan on the outhouse solution. Served my ancestors well.


Had one on the grandparents farm, I used it all the time.

I had a rope attached to the wall that I held on to, I was afraid I would fall in, was only 8 or 10 when I started using it.

There were three holes on the bench all with wood covers.

TP rolls were hung on deer antlers.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

SGT E said:


> I answered this question years ago...lots of cheap plastic shopping bags and a water balloon slingshot....let your kids target practice off your far neighbors garage door!


Very shrewd! I see you have your thinking cap on. Since your kids are doing it, you have plausible deniability.


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## bornprepper (Dec 27, 2017)

I live pretty close to a farm, so I can take a dump in a bucket, and empty it in the slurry tanks at the farm lol. 

My house has a septic tank system, so until that is full, I can keep on sh1tting. 

When it fills, my plan is to either "borrow" a tractor and slurry tanker, and suck out the tank, or if there is an EMP, or solar flare, then I will have to empty it with a bucket and rope, which would not be nice.

I will be flushing the toilet with water I collect from a river 500 yards from my house, or else from rain water collections.

NOTE: I am a farmer, so I know how to operate a tanker...


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