Saturday, September 1, 2007

Cinderella

One very interesting type of self-contained toilet is the 'Cinderella', which is made in Norway. The idea is that it uses an electric heater to dry out waste so only ashes need to be disposed of. (Now you know why it's called 'Cinderella'. Who said Norwegians don't have a sense of humour??)
Advantages:
- No need for a tank under the house
- High capacity; could handle a couple of families for a week
- Shuts down in the winter so no need for long-term composting
- Did I mention you handle only ashes and nothing unsavory?
Disadvantages:
- Expensive! (as much as $4000)!?!
- Uses a lot of electricity, which isn't cheap
- Is a high-powered heating element in a timber house with minimal available water a good idea?

I found a reseller in Sweden, fortunately near Rutger's house. They were charming to me, the American caller, and sent me an old English-language user's manual, which I have posted here for the curious. We may go see when I'm up in October.

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