Separator toilet waste collection service in London

A co-operative community interest company (CIC) providing a ‘doorstep' collection service for boaters of composting toilet waste started initially on the East London canal network.

We provided funding to Circular Revolution to operate the service for a year-long pilot, to help boaters observe changes to our guidelines on disposing of composting toilet waste. Since the end of December 2021, we request that no bagged solid waste from separator/composting toilets is disposed of in our waste bins.

Eve Mackinnon set up Circular Revolution in 2020, when she realised how many London boaters struggled with having the space, time or desire to compost on board, but also wanted to move away from chemical toilets and complications of relying on Elsan points. Eve also wanted to complete the loop, harnessing the vital nutrients for soil in a safe way.

Circular Revolution now provides regular scheduled collections, picking up bagged organic waste from collection caddies, every two weeks.

The service also provides a 17 litre collection caddy, and compostable bags to use in the caddies. The service uses what3words to locate boats, meaning continuous cruisers are free to roam and do not have to travel to specific collection points, but sharing a location prior to collection is key.

Initially the scheme took off in East London, and has since expanded to include West London. Check their service areas to see if they collect where you are.

It is easy to order through the website. All the material collected must be organic, so no plastics, metals or liquids will be accepted. There are several other ways to get involved if you have time or skills to share.

More details on the service and how to order are here.