Waste Management for Tiny Homes
Whether you live in one place or you’re on-the-go, you’ll have to deal with bodily waste and garbage when you transition to living in a tiny home. (And if that’s not your idea of fun, we don’t know what is…)
Depending on the bodily waste disposal system you have, you could need plumbing that will connect to an outside sewage line or a tank. Many pre-built houses have these already installed, but if you’re starting from scratch you could expect to spend around $1,000 for water and plumbing together alone.
The purpose of this article is to outline everything you should know about before you decide what kind of waste management system you want, so you can make the best decision for your wallet, your land, and your lifestyle.
And you thought you weren’t going to have any fun today...
Table of Contents:
Word Count: 2100 Words
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
Stationary House Plumbing
Is your home where it’s going to be for the foreseeable future? Then consider these waste management systems.
On the Grid
Connecting a new home to a city sewage system can be expensive (but may not be that bad). To get the proper pipes set up in your home, the price range is $1,500 to $4,500 — not including the price of attaching your pipes to the city sewer. This can cost as little as $500 or up to $20,000 depending on local laws and nearby infrastructure. Otherwise, you can expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars for the city to build a sewage line that reaches your home.
This price tag may sound scary, but fear not! Research your local regulations. It may cost as little as $2,000 to get yourself on the grid.
Septic
If your tiny home is going to be stationary, and you own your land, consider installing a septic waste system. This is because septic tanks require a bit of land to accommodate both the septic tank and the drainage field.
There are below-ground and aboveground systems, as well as anaerobic or aerobic systems. Anaerobic and aerobic refers to the type of bacteria used to break down bodily waste. Anaerobic systems are cheaper on the whole because they do not require ventilation and require less maintenance, so that’s what we’ll focus on.
On average, installation of a basic below-ground anaerobic septic system will cost you $6,000.
First, you’ll need a building permit. Contact a contractor in your region to get an accurate number, but if you have to go through some form of bureaucracy, expect to pay up to $1,000.
Regulations generally require that a household septic tank be at least 1,000 gallons. This is the ideal size for households with anywhere from one to three bedrooms, so you might not actually need that much septic space since you’re living small (we’ve seen many people get away with 750 gallons).
Tank Options
You have four options to choose from when it comes to the tank itself:
Concrete. 1000 gallon tanks cost $600 to $1,000 and last around 40 years. However, depending on the size of your lot they may take up too much space, as concrete tanks are large. They are also heavy and cost more to install.
Plastic tanks. Priced at about $1,000, plastic tanks last about 30 to 40 years, and are cheaper to install because they are lightweight.
Fiberglass tanks. Cost approximately $1,600 for a 1000 gallon tank, but last around 40 years and are incredibly light. Installation costs are lower than concrete tanks.
Steel. $800 to $1,200, but, depending on your region, may rust out within 20 years.
Installation
Installation is the most expensive part. Depending on the labor required this could cost between $1,500-$5,000. The cost increases the more the ground has to be cleared.
The advantage of a septic system is that it only has to be pumped every 3-5 years, which costs around $300.
If you want a simpler, relatively inexpensive system and don’t mind pumping it on your own on a weekly basis, consider a holding tank system.
On-the-Go
Don’t want a system that land-locks you? Consider these on-the-go waste management systems.
Holding Tanks
A holding tank system can enable you to take your tiny-home wherever you please. You just have to be mindful of how full your system is, and where the nearest dump station will be in your travels.
Holding tank systems consist of grey and black holding tanks.
A grey tank, or a grey water tank, gathers anything that doesn’t come from a toilet (meaning water from your sink, washing machine, bathtub, etc). It has particles like soap and bits of food, but is considered safe and non hazardous.
A black tank, aka a waste tank, is whatever comes from a toilet. It contains dangerous contaminants and bacteria that can make you sick. Black water has different regulations for disposal, so it’s usually kept separate by tiny home dwellers.
You can technically collect grey and black water into the same tank, but this causes the tank to fill quickly and isn’t recommended— especially for those living in a PMRV.
As with everything in life, there are different regulatory standards for the capture and disposal of waste based on where you live. Before investing in a system, know what’s expected of you in your county and state.
Grey Water
If you own your land, you can rig a grey water system to drain from your tiny house to your yard or, better yet, your garden. Since it’s mostly soap and food particles in the water, it can serve as great water for irrigation, helping you create an efficient and sustainable watering system. Regulations prevent you from spraying grey water on the edible parts of plants in a garden, but using it on the root networks of your plants can help fertilize them from the food and soaps in the water. Just be sure to use biodegradable soap!
You can invest in a ready-made grey water recycling system, also called a grey water diversion system, to channel and filter your bath and sink water. It runs for around $500 to $700, and can be rigged to connect to the existing plumbing in your tiny house to automatically route to an irrigation system.
(Want something more DIY? Check this out).
To store and dispose of your grey water while you’re hitting the road, you can get a grey tank to hold your waste until you’re ready to deal with it. A grey tank is hooked up to your plumbing, and your pipes spit the water from your shower, sink, etc into it. Depending on the volume of your water usage and the size of the tank you get, you’ll need to dump your tank about once a week.
Black Water
Black water is sewage that comes directly from your toilet, and, as you may expect, has a lot of regulations for disposal associated with it. Unlike grey water, there are no green alternatives for reusing or recycling this kind of waste. You’ll need a black tank, as well as a hired disposal service or a sewage hose to connect to a waste dumping station.
A range of black tank sizes exist, but since you’re living small, you’ll probably want about an 18 gallon plastic holding tank. A fixed tank that connects to your pipes will probably work better than a portable wheeled tank. Costs vary, but you can expect to spend between $100 and $150 for this size. If your house has the space underneath you might consider a 50 gallon tank, which is closer to $200.
Only certain locations have dumping locations where you can dispose of your sewage. You should dump your black tank when it is at least two-thirds of the way full. Any less and you risk leaving solid waste behind because enough water will not have entered the system to flush it out.
Dumping Spots and Costs
Dumping isn’t all that expensive depending on where you dump your waste and how often.
If it’s legal in your area and you find yourself in a residential neighborhood, you can dump your grey water for free in a sewage or storm drain.
You can find dumping stations for grey- and black water at RV parks, campgrounds and parks, certain car dealerships and gas stations, waste treatment plants, some rest stops, and the occasional sporting goods store. Some may charge you a fee — maybe $5 or more — while some may not charge at all. Research dumping stations in your area to find a safe, legal, cost-effective option.
Toilet Types
You can install a toilet that uses water or a dry toilet in a permanently-placed tiny home or a PMRV. The type that is right for you will depend on whether you are comfortable dealing with black water waste disposal, and how closely you want to be involved in the decomposition process.
Low-Flow Toilets
Low-flow toilets use a smaller amount of water (4.8 liters or less versus 6 liters) to accomplish the task of flushing. For $100 to $200, you can install an RV-sized water-conserving toilet in your tiny house. The EPA estimates that you could save about $100 per year with a low-flow toilet from all of the water you’ll save.
Do keep in mind though that these toilets don’t always propel your waste down the first time, and the lower water to waste ratio can sometimes create a thicker sludge that is more difficult to pump.
Dry Composting Toilets
Composting toilets, or urine-diverting dry toilets, are waste receptacles that separate urine and fecal into different tanks and allow you to turn them into composting material. These toilets don’t use water and don’t create sewage. Sewage is technically the mixing of #1, #2, water and toilet paper, so the waste you produce with these toilets doesn’t create hazardous black water. Instead, you create solid material that you can toss into a compostable bag to dispose of. In fact, composting toilets are pretty hygienic, and will save you money in the long run.
You can expect to pay between $600 and $2,000 for your composting toilet depending on the model and how well it actually sorts waste. Cheaper models rely on waste retention methods that are more difficult to dispose of because they don’t compartmentalize waste, while more expensive models sort excrement more efficiently. When searching for the model that suits your needs, make sure you’re choosing one with dimensions that will fit into your tiny bathroom because most composting toilets are made for larger bathrooms.
Keep in mind that composting toilets require electricity for a fan that keeps the composting material cool and odor-free, but the electricity usage is very small ( pennies per month). They also require some form of ventilation (what’s needed will vary on the model and your type of tiny home).
Incinerating Toilet
If you want nothing to do with human waste disposal, you might want to invest in an incinerating toilet. These steel waterless toilets shuttle your excretions into an incinerator and heat it to up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit until it’s destroyed, and then use a cooling fan to bring it back to a normal temperature. Incinerating toilets have a price tag of $1,000 to $4,000 (and this does not include the price of electricity or fuel needed to turn your waste into ash).
It takes about an hour to heat everything into oblivion, which translates to 1.5 to 2 kilowatt hours of electricity per use — more or less the equivalent of running a dishwasher.
The only thing you have to do is empty out the ashtray once you have produced about a cup’s worth of ash. Expect to do this every few days.
This type of toilet is nice because it doesn’t really require much input from you, but it’s one of the most expensive options you’ll find. In a way it’s environmentally friendly because you’re not producing sewage with it, but it does expend a lot of power to fry your waste to a crisp.
Camping Toilet
If you’re worried about the prices of the options above, you can always get a camping toilet. These cost around $100, and are easy to fold up and store. However, keep in mind that you’ll have to attach disposable waste bags to them that are multi-use, but not for long. They cost about $3 each. Say you use one per day — that’s over $1,000 in a year, and you have to find a way to safely dispose of them.
Bottom Line
You have a lot of waste management options. The most convenient options are a small grey water tank and a composting toilet. These options allow for a sustainable lifestyle and are the easiest to dispose of, especially if you’re based on your own land.
OK, you’ve had your fun. We are truly sorry the rest of your day won’t be able to compare to the time you spent with us today learning about poop.