Environmentally-Friendly Mycelium Toilet Launched At The University Of British Columbia

Do you know how much water is consumed annually using flush toilet systems? In Canada and the United States, approximately 30% of home water use goes down the toilet. The average person flushes 125 litres (33 US gallons) daily, with the total estimated volume in North America translating to 15.4 trillion litres annually. In a water-constrained world, that represents a significant waste of a very precious resource.

Chemical and compostable toilets were invented to replace the water closet with a waterless alternative. Have they caught on in North America? They represent a small fraction of the total market when compared to flush toilets and are mostly found in rural and off-the-grid locales.

The researchers at the University of British Columbia, however, may have created a waterless closet with greater appeal. It is called the MycoToilet and is the world’s first mushroom-powered, waterless solution for doing a Number 1 or 2. You can do a test drive at the University of British Columbia’s Botanical Garden in Vancouver.

The idea for the toilet has been from how tree roots intermingle with fungi to help them absorb nutrients and protect them from pathogens. The picture below illustrates how the toilet mimics what trees do with mycelium.

In describing how mycelium sets this compostable toilet apart, Steven Hallam, in the University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, remarks:

“We have learned that the breathable mycelium liner can reduce odour, while removing residual moisture, limiting the onset of anaerobic conditions and creating more favourable conditions for aerobic decomposition.”

In other words, the mechanism uses the root network of mushrooms, called mycelium, as a liner inside the toilet to turn human solid waste into rich compost. And it does it in what could only be described as a pretty fancy cedar-sided outhouse, as you can see from the above picture.

The solid and liquid waste are treated separately, with the mycelium absorbing 90% of odour-causing compounds produced by human waste. That’s because the mycelium is accompanied by thermophilic microbes that can decompose waste twice as fast as current composting toilet solutions.

The MycoToilet is designed for minimal maintenance and is wheelchair-accessible. It includes an integrated low-power fan to provide ventilation. It uses no waste-treatment chemicals. Its other green credentials include natural illumination through a skylight and a green roof where local flora grows. The exterior walls and interior are made from cedar and stainless steel elements. Using cedar makes the MycoToilet resistant to decomposition in the rainy conditions of Vancouver.

The toilet system without the fancy trimmings can be built for under CDN$20. This souped-up version, however, which has been funded by research grants, probably would cost between CDN$2,000 and $10,000 when you add in all its features. The University hasn’t said how much it spent. When you compare the MycoToilet to commercial composting toilets on the market today, which can cost between CDN$1,500 and $2,000, not including installation, a basic MycoToilet with replaceable liners seems a cinch.

The MycoToilet at the Botanical Gardens is expected to yield 600 litres of soil and 2,000 litres of liquid fertilizer annually. Its designers see a potential for its use in parks (I can attest to just how unpleasant current compostable toilets can be after a trip through Canada’s Yoho National Park last summer), remote communities, and sites without plumbing infrastructure.

The MycoToilet represents an eco-friendly solution that is both technically innovative as well as integrated into the natural world, addressing one of humanity’s elemental needs: a waste management system that is organic and doesn’t smell or pollute. It is a solution that fits the model for a sustainable future in the 21st century.