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Friday, 26 June 2015 10:21

Glastonbury increases waterless compost toilets for local farmer product

The Glastonbury Festival is increasing its use of waterless, chemical-free composting toilets to 1,100 units for its 20,000 festival goers, with local Somerset farmers able to use the end product to grow crops.

glastonbury compost toilets v2Once again, sanitation solution company Natural Event continues to play an important 'backstage' role at the festival with its composting loos now making up a fifth of all toilets on-site.

This is the 5th year the company, whose slogan is 'Changing The World From The Bottom Up', has supplied Glastonbury Festival, whose organisers have installed ever greater numbers of Natural Event's loos.

Natural Event claim this is a sign of increased preference for both sustainable and practical sanitation solutions which provide dignity for users, because of their low-odour design.

Using sawdust alone - no chemicals or water - the toilets will, after 11 - 18 months, produce around 250 tonnes of compost for local farmers to spread on approximately 30 acres at 8 tonnes per acre.

Glasto toilets Hamish copyThe founder of Natural Event, Hamish Skermer, is an environmental chemist who conceived the company's low-odour design and founded the company in 2002. He feels strongly that 'human waste' is a misnomer: "It's only waste if we waste it," he says.

Having worked in disaster-struck zones such as Haiti, Hamish is passionate about giving everyone on the planet who uses a toilet a dignified experience.

His TEDx Talk last month highlighted the need to adapt the language we use to describe our 'business' and urged us to learn to grow food using our own 'humanure'.

Click to see his TEDx Talk here, or visit www.naturalevent.com.au

A six minute documantary trailer 'Changing the World from the Bottom Up' can be seen below