FAQs

Recode has developed the water reuse database for these building codes. The databased is a living record of known water and nutrient recovery building codes based upon location. It is not fully developed and but with a donation here and there we can continue to provide this information to you. We developed this wiki-based database so you can add or edit information based on your experiences and help complete the work. Please share the wealth and contribute to this database with your knowledge, donation or both!

Recode has also help develop the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials’ “Water Efficiency Standard” AKA the WE•Stand which has actual plumbing permit language that has been approved for state adoption. This may or may not be recognized in your jurisdiction. This language has been used and approved under the ‘alternative means and methods’ approach for permitting these systems. Ask us, we can help you develop these.

Recode has developed the water reuse database for these building codes. The databased is a living record of known water and nutrient recovery building codes based upon location. It is not fully developed and but with a donation here and there we can continue to provide this information to you. We developed this wiki-based database so you can add or edit information based on your experiences and help complete the work. Please share the wealth and contribute to this database with your knowledge, donation or both!

Recode has also help develop the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials’ “Water Efficiency Standard” AKA the WE•Stand which has actual plumbing permit language that has been approved for state adoption. This may or may not be recognized in your jurisdiction. This language has been used and approved under the ‘alternative means and methods’ approach for permitting these systems. Ask us, we can help you develop these.

Greywater Action co-founder, Laura Allen, has published a book, The Water-Wise Home, which provides information, tables, and charts to help you plan and implement your project.

Oasis Design is also a resource and has a lot of public Domain information for you to harvest.

Recode feels strongly about staying outside of the industry and in so we do not endorse, recommend or promote products. Our position of product neutrality does not reflex our complete commitment to the practice of eco-sanitation, water reuse and nutrient recovery.

Composting toilet regulations vary greatly from state to state (and many states do not have any codes for them at all). In many situations composting toilets codes don’t apply to homes that also have a flush toilet. Dwellings that do require permission and permitting are new construction seeking an alternative wastewater system (to install a composting toilet instead of a septic or sewer system). Some states allow composting toilets instead of a sewer/septic, though usually only NSF-certified manufactured types (and prohibit the more affordable and often better functioning site-built toilets). However, some states are beginning to change this policy; for example, the state of Oregon now includes site-built composting toilets as a legal option (find the section in Oregon’s “Reach Code”). Recode modified Chapter 5 of the WE•Stand and created provisions that do not require the NSF / ANSI 41 requirement for eco-sanitation systems – so check to see if your plumbing code has adopted this most current version!

NSF/ANSI 41 certified – NSF is a US based public health and safety organization that creates standards and tests products to see if they meet those standards. NSF Standard 41 is a standard developed in the 1970s for composting toilets it tests both the product and does an evaluation of the manufacturing facility. NSF 41 is for “non-liquid saturated treatment systems,” which means it is used to test and evaluate incinerating toilets as well as composting toilets. Composting toilets can be evaluated by several different ANSI-approved third party organizations to meet the NSF 41 standard, including CSA (the Canadian Standards Association).

NSF’s product listing under 41).

CSA has certified (look in their certified product listing under “composting toilet”)

Manufactured non-NSF 41 certified – Manufacturers of composting toilets pay for their product to be tested to the NSF Standard 41. The testing can around $20,000 per product for the first year with annual renewal fees. Since NSF standards are primarily specified in regulations in the US and Canada, foreign manufacturers often do not pay for NSF certification unless they are sure they can regain the cost of the testing.

Site built – A composting toilet system constructed at the site of use. Washington state would refer to this as a non-proprietary system and there is a process for approving these via the Washington State Department of Health recommended standards and guidance for water conserving on-site wastewater treatment systems .

Compost from toilets should undergo fecal coliform and moisture content testing to ensure safety, the same biological testing that NSF-certified manufactured composting toilets must undergo. Testing depends on the lab, but usually costs between $35-70. If the lab conducts fecal coliform testing for water they can also do it for compost. Most labs can also do a moisture test. Instead of a lab test one can also squeeze the compost to see if moisture beads up. If the compost is dripping wet, it’s too wet. If a bit of moisture beads up when it’s squeezed it probably has less than 40% moisture.

Here is our requirement as it appears in the WE•Stand:

“The owner or owner’s agent of the composting toilet system shall verify user’s compliance with the manufacturer’s maintenance and operation manual in accordance with Section 403.7 by submitting a sample of the humus from the first treatment period after a minimum of one year of biologically active conditions to a certified laboratory before removal of humus from the composting processor. Where multiple compost processors are used, the humus sample shall be removed from the last compost processor. The sample collection shall be tested in accordance with EPA/625/R-92/013, Appendix F, Section 1.2. Humus shall not have a moisture content exceeding 75 percent by weight, and shall not exceed 200 fecal coliforms/gram.”

Yes, absolutely! Urine is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and has been used for generations to help plants grow. Our friends at the Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, VT have been testing and using urine as a beneficial use for years. Recently Nutrient Recovery Services and EAWAG in Switzerland have developed shelf stable urine based fertilizers for the retail market.

Recode has developed the urine reuse plumbing code found chapter 5 of the WE•Stand .