Leave No Trace, Leave No Pathogens
Why it's time to rethink your poop practices
Written by Avery Pope, TE Board Member
In March, we discussed how our TE toilet models evolved from the earth closet model of Henry Moule in efficacy and design. (If you haven’t read that blog, we encourage you to do so here). With that evolution came the understanding of the science that separates the effects of burying versus composting human feces, and this month I want to discuss why the composting aspect is so important.
As a native Western Coloradan, I grew up camping, hiking and recreating in many ways in the great outdoors. From a young age I was taught how to do my business outside in a way that abided by Leave No Trace rules, and at its core this involved digging a hole. Catholes are not news to any outdoor lover, it’s human nature and we do our best to respect the space we recreate in by not leaving our waste out in the open. So, you dig a hole, do your business, top it with a layer of soil, and call it a day.
Recently, the understanding of what this does to our ecosystems has evolved and new methods are recommended. Catholes and Moule’s method of using soil to cover feces have one problem in common: they allow fecal pathogens to continue their life cycle and enable exposure to other humans, animals, insects and rainwater runoff.
The reason composting feces before reintroducing it back into the soil is so important is because it breaks the parasite life cycle.
As discussed in our March blog, we use an aerobic method of composting which maintains exposure to oxygen and utilizes a carbon additive - ours is straw and sawdust - that facilitates the composting process and increases temperatures in our piles to create an ideal environment for thermophilic bacteria to thrive and kill off any human parasites that may exist in the fecal matter.
Covering feces with soil, on the other hand, introduces no carbon additives and seals the feces off from oxygen - and even sunlight - which in turn creates anaerobic conditions that many pathogens prefer. This lack of exposure to natural elements also slows down the decomposition process, leaving feces in our soils for extended periods of time and allowing broader transmission of human pathogens, specifically E. coli, Giardia, and Hepatitis A. In fact, in 1980 a group of researchers discovered that E. coli and salmonella buried with human waste were present season after season regardless of the depth the waste was buried or the soil that was used. They concluded that because recreators have been using catholes for so long that our nation is “peppered with little, toxin packed landmines.”
New methods have emerged for outdoor recreators to take care of their business including WAG bags and of course, composting toilets. Some national parks have prohibited catholes and require people to pack out their waste using waste kits such as WAG bags. WAG (Waste Alleviating Gel) bags work similarly to kitty litter to help eliminate moisture and odor while you are recreating. WAG bags these days are biodegradable but should be disposed of only in a trash receptacle and not a pit toilet or compost.
On short excursions, packing out your waste is the best way to keep our environment healthy, but if you have the ability to use a compost toilet on your adventures there are many options available, including our prototype that our founder tested on a Grand Canyon adventure. Some more commercialized compost toilets are also available, but it is important to note that many utilize an anaerobic system like many household compost toilets - which produce methane - and are more conducive to recreators who live out of a van or an RV, since many require a power source. Not all compost toileting systems are created equal, so it’s important to do your own research and find one that best fits your lifestyle.
As much preparation as we like to put into our outdoor excursions, sometimes you get caught unprepared. While it’s not preferred, scientists have discovered the smear technique is favorable to catholes in these situations, specifically in the arid and alpine climates we find in Colorado. The smear technique is what it sounds like: do your business, leave it uncovered and with the use of a leaf or stick, smear it in a thin line to assist with the breakdown of the mass. It’s important that you leave only your waste and no toilet paper or menstrual products when practicing this method. The reason scientists find it to be more effective and less damaging to the environment than catholes is because the waste will experience exposure to oxygen and the sun, allowing the elements to aid in decomposition. It is recommended that you have more intentionality when using this technique and find areas with low traffic to eliminate risk of human exposure and that aren’t on a downhill slope to prevent as much water contamination as possible. Flat rocks are a preferable area for this type of deposit because you reduce soil contamination and the heat from the sun more effectively decomposes the product. Scientists found that surface exposed deposits had a greater reduction in fecal mass and fecal organisms in fourteen weeks than those disposed of using cathole techniques.
For more advanced recreators who enjoy climbing on snow packed mountains and glaciers it’s important to note that poop disposed of in snow and ice is actually preserved, indefinitely. For years it has been common practice to dispose of poop in icy crevices in the mountain with the belief that the freeze and thaw cycles and the grinding of flowing ice would make the deposits disappear. Test streams from Denali, one of the most popular glacial mountains for recreators, already show trace amounts of e. Coli and fecal enterococci. Scientists believe this will only increase as global warming escalates the rate at which ice is melting in these areas, bringing with it decades-old poop deposits frozen in time on the mountain. If possible, WAG bags are the preferred method of disposal: pack it in and pack it out, and make sure to always filter your water. Though glacial water may seem crystal clear and enticing, it’s extremely likely it contains several fecal pathogens from the endless deposits of mountaineers over the years.
Understanding the difference between burying and composting human waste is crucial for protecting both public health and the environment. While catholes have long been a standard outdoor practice, we now know they don’t effectively break down waste or prevent the spread of harmful pathogens. Composting, on the other hand, disrupts the life cycle of parasites and pathogens through oxygen exposure, carbon additives, and thermophilic bacteria, making it a far safer and more sustainable solution.
For recreators, the best approach depends on the situation. If you’re heading into the backcountry, packing out your waste with a WAG bag is ideal. If you have access to a composting toilet, even better. And if you're truly caught off guard, the smear technique—though not pretty—beats burying waste and leaving it to linger.
At Toilet Equity, we believe in solutions that go beyond just hiding the problem. Composting human waste isn’t just about disposal—it’s about transformation. So whether you're on a remote adventure or supporting urban sanitation solutions, let’s make sure our impact is as light as possible, and our poop isn’t outliving us in the landscape.
As natural as toileting is, there is still a learning curve on the best ways to take care of your business and take care of our environment. Toilet Equity works in service of environmental health, which is why we aerobically compost the deposits we collect and make sure to rid them of any pathogens before re-introducing the finished compost to our lands and our community.