Septic System - The flush toilet contaminates clean water; allows pathogens to proliferate on wet surfaces and under rim; is attractive and hazardous for children to play in (especially if used but not flushed)^3,4; is notorious for clogging and causing sewage overflows^3,4; causes unsanitary practices when not functioning due to power failure, water supply failure, or flush mechanism failure; requires the use of hazardous chemicals (chlorine) for sanitation.

NutriCycle System - The composting toilet uses no water; uses the oxygen in the air flowing into the toilet to initiate sanitation of fecal matter and to sanitize fixture surfaces without the use of any chemicals; is not an attraction for children; cannot clog or overflow; can always be used (even if there is a fan problem).

The Drain System

Septic System - Sewage pipes are septic; pathogens can proliferate; hazardous to persons fixing clogs or working on pipes.

NutriCycle System - The composting toilet chute is sanitized by continuous air flow; graywater pipes can be septic but pathogens levels are greatly reduced (no fecal matter) and pipes are less likely to clog (no large solids).

The Treatment System

Septic System - The septic tank generates hazardous septage⁵ which must be pumped and hauled on public highways; the septic tank also generates hazardous septic tank effluent⁵ which flows directly to the soil surface when leach fields become clogged; health hazards are created when the leach field needs to be expanded or replaced; leach fields that are not clogged cause nitrate pollution in the groundwater (nitrate is a known carcinogen, can cause blue baby syndrome, and contributes to the death of bodies of water which breaks or contaminates the human food chain).

NutriCycle System - The composting toilet tank generates compost and liquid fertilizer end-products that are safe-to-handle^6,7, and can be easily recycled to the land based food chain without pollution or health hazards. Fresh aerobic graywater has such a low health risk that it also can be used to stimulate healthy plant growth in specially designed shallow flower bed systems where organic matter and nutrients are recycled to vegetation without clogging, surface ponding, or failure.

Lack of Maintenance

Septic System - Failure to check flush toilet operation, keep drain lines clear, get septic tank pumped regularly, and keep virtually all activity off of the leach field, may cause any or all of the above hazards to occur sooner rather than later; however, regular maintenance will not eliminate any of the above hazards.

NutriCycle System - A composting toilet system that has not had bulking agent added, the pile raked, and various components checked from proper operation, may generate end-products that are not safe-to-handle; unsafe end-products are usually detected by an offensive odor; safe-to-handle characteristics for the compost are restored by further retention time in storage (pathogens are killed by the high salt concentration); the graywater system is designed to perform indefinitely with no maintenance (proper operation should be checked when composter maintenance is performed).

Conclusion

Septic System - Health hazards are always present at the flush toilet and the receiving body of water, and are present periodically at all other components (the drain system, the septic tank, the leach field), regardless of maintenance. 

NutriCycle System - Health hazards may be present to a comparatively low degree in the composter end-products if maintenance is not performed. These hazards are easily eliminated with proper maintenance. Health hazards are never as great or as frequent with a NutriCycle System as they are with a septic system.

¹  Refers to any flush toilet/septic tank/leach field system.
²  Refers to systems designed by NutriCycle Systems that recycle organics and nutrients back to the land-based food chain by using Clivus Multrum NSF approved composting toilets, a nutrient recycling plan for the composting toilet end-products, and graywater flower beds.
³  Fecal coliform bacteria in fresh fecal matter: 700,000,000/100 ML
⁴  Fecal coliform bacteria in one toilet flush (5 gal); 10,000,000/100 ML
⁵  Fecal coliform bacteria in septage and septic tank effluent: 430,000/100 ML
⁶  Fecal coliform bacteria in Clivus compost and Clivus liquid fertilizer; less than 200/100 ML
⁷  Fecal coliform bacteria in EPA swimming water: 200/100ML

Please call or email John Hanson with questions or for more information.