Composting Restroom

SRDC and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation installed a composting toilet on the trail near Walnut Street in August and September 2010. Special care was taken to keep the facility as small as possible and to fit it seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

This waterless toilet depends on aerobic reaction to break down waste product that will eventually turn into a granular product similar to kitty litter and could be used as plant fertilizer. While the use of a composting toilet was dictated by the absence of a sanitary sewer line, it fits well with the City's environmental mission. The facility will save 300 gallons of flush water per day (which is roughly 109,500 gallons per year) and eliminate the need to treat the waste product at a treatment plant.

Wells Appel Landscape Architects designed and engineered the project, which was fabricated and installed by BioSun Systems Inc. Site work and landscaping was completed by Mizu Contracting, LLP.  Funding for the project was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Coastal Zone Management grant program, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and the City of Philadelphia.