Emergency Toilet

Yesterday, at our Provident Living class, we learned how to put together an emergency toilet. It would be pretty handy, even if your water was shut off for a couple days. For example, our neighbors water heater went out and had to be replaced. They had to wait an entire weekend, without running water! I don't know about you, but in my house this would be an emergency situation.

Home toilets may be unusable and going in the bushes quickly promotes diseases. A simple solution is a 5 or 6 galon plastic bucket lined with a plastic bag with a snap on toilet seat. When full, transport waste to a central dumping hole or station.

Emergency Toilet

Store all items in bucket until needed

For one toilet you need:

• Bucket - You can use a bucket and purchase a toilet lid separately, or purchase a "Porta Potty" such as Luggable Loo. (My dad screwed three screws into the bottom of a toilet seat, to help hold it in place, and this is what we used while camping. It worked fantastic)!
• Plastic Bags - 30 - 50 heavy duty bags, 10 - 15 gallons
• Toilet Paper - center cardboard can be removed and TP can be wrapped in plastic to keep dry and save space in bucket
• Hand Sanitizer or wet wipes for clean up (I personally would go with hand sanitizer on this one)
• Kitty Litter - 1 bag. Sprinkle a small amount over waste to help with smell; or, Sawdust - fill with 3" of sawdust after each use to reduce odors, absorb, and help with decomposition.
• Rubber Gloves - 2 pair, use as you dispose of the bag and clean off the lid with disinfectant.
• Privacy Curtain - shower curtain or tarp
• Rope - for privacy curtain
• Disinfectant - pour a little in bucket after each use. Also for cleaning off the toilet seat lid!

To help with disease control, keep the lid tight when not in use.

Disposal: Using rubber gloves, carefully remove the bag, press out excess air, and tie securely for disposal. The bag can be stored in a covered and lined trash can until disposal service is resumed. Bag can also be buried 3 feet deep, 50 feet from a water source. The same hole can be used for several bags. Cover hole with 12" of soil when not in use.