What the Scots spend our taxes on - a 50K bog!

[ronmcd]

The Cumbria project will be from Arts Council ring fenced (and much reduced these days) funds, whereas the shithouse on the Scottish Island is part funded by the Scottish gubmint it says.

So ... not your taxes then? If I were similarly inclined, I'd be more upset about my taxes being used for the London Olympics, High Speed Rail to somewhere north of London, etc. But I'm not so petty. We're all in this together, don't you know?

[ronmcd]

It sounds like everyone here thinks that ferrying a Portaloo over on a dingy is a viable alternative.

The £50,000 loo with a view is made of steel and is expected to take a team of five men six days to build on an island so difficult to reach it took two landing craft several attempts to land the specially designed materials on shore.

Most of the waste will turn to compost and it will only need to be cleared out every two to three years.

By comparison, an automatic (but free) public loo in Cardiff costs around £21,300 per year to run; others outside the city centre cost around £15,000 per year - and these aren't staffed, and that doesn't include the cost of building them.

But in that there London, they would never spend £50,000 on something wasteful.

Um.

[mistermack]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

If they truly have got no water source, they could make all the bird watchers carry a gallon each trip, and pour it into a holding tank. Or set up a surface to catch rain water. Or both.

It can't be that hard to get to, if 6,000 bird watchers do the trip every year.

[Ronja]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

This I do not understand. Have you never encountered a modern, composting outhouse? They are quite hygienic, if people indeed do put in a suitable amount of sawdust at every visit. Or is that what you are worried about? That the people won't understand how important the sawdust is for the process and the bog will end up stinking to high heaven and the "produce" not becoming compost at all?

[Svartalf]

Like Scotland doesn't have enough bogs.

All of Alba south of the Tweed is Scotland's bog.

[MiM]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

If they truly have got no water source, they could make all the bird watchers carry a gallon each trip, and pour it into a holding tank. Or set up a surface to catch rain water. Or both.

It can't be that hard to get to, if 6,000 bird watchers do the trip every year.

The problem probably isn't in getting water to flush with, but where to flush it.

[Audley Strange]

Considering the amount of taxpayers money going to pay for a two week amateur sports fete in the South East and especially after the 3/4 of a billion blown on that fucking hubcap over the last decade. I don't think people have got anything to whine about, at least a shitter has some actual use .

[JimC]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

This I do not understand. Have you never encountered a modern, composting outhouse? They are quite hygienic, if people indeed do put in a suitable amount of sawdust at every visit. Or is that what you are worried about? That the people won't understand how important the sawdust is for the process and the bog will end up stinking to high heaven and the "produce" not becoming compost at all?

Many inland Australian tourist areas have very little water. They are very well served by no-flush composting or deep pit loos...

I have shat in many, very contentedly...

[Thinking Aloud]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

This I do not understand. Have you never encountered a modern, composting outhouse? They are quite hygienic, if people indeed do put in a suitable amount of sawdust at every visit. Or is that what you are worried about? That the people won't understand how important the sawdust is for the process and the bog will end up stinking to high heaven and the "produce" not becoming compost at all?

Many inland Australian tourist areas have very little water. They are very well served by no-flush composting or deep pit loos...

I have shat in many, very contentedly...

We were spoiled by the Romans, we really were.

[Svartalf]

Some French historians have said that we Gauls weren't conquered by the Legions but by Roman baths.

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

6,000 visitors every year? charge 'em £10 for a visit to the island (call the charge / tax something ""green") and will turn a tidy profit.

[Pappa]

Some French historians have said that we Gauls weren't conquered by the Legions but by Roman baths.

They had a very good understanding of the carrot and stick approach.

[mistermack]

I still don't like that no-flush idea, sprinkling sawdust.

This I do not understand. Have you never encountered a modern, composting outhouse? They are quite hygienic, if people indeed do put in a suitable amount of sawdust at every visit. Or is that what you are worried about? That the people won't understand how important the sawdust is for the process and the bog will end up stinking to high heaven and the "produce" not becoming compost at all?

No I haven't, ever encountered a modern, composting outhouse. So I'll take your word for it. But I remain to be convinced it won't stink, and for fifty grand, you would think they could do better.
People all over Scotland have septic tanks installed, and it doesn't cost fifty grand, and the bogs don't stink, and they can go 20 years and more before emptying. But I suppose getting it emptied might be the problem in this case.
There are small Island communities all around Scotland and Ireland. I doubt if many use composting outhouses. But I might well be behind the times in shit technology.

[mistermack]

Some French historians have said that we Gauls weren't conquered by the Legions but by Roman baths.

They had a very good understanding of the carrot and stick approach.

Even a composting outhouse sounds better than that. We used dock leaves when we were kids, playing in the woods. I've never heard of carrot and stick though. It sounds painful.

[JimC]

Some French historians have said that we Gauls weren't conquered by the Legions but by Roman baths.

They had a very good understanding of the carrot and stick approach.

Even a composting outhouse sounds better than that. We used dock leaves when we were kids, playing in the woods. I've never heard of carrot and stick though. It sounds painful.