Patti, Here's Frank Teuton's take on the composting carnivore feces issue. He has a pretty sensible approach. So much of what you read on this issue is (in my opinion) overly cautious --- no even alarmist. The reasons for the caution warnings are seldom explained. Frank does that well and in his inimitable way.
Caution is in order if 1) you're going to be using the finished compost on food crops and 2) you're not confident that all parts of your compost has been exposed for the proper parasite-killing temperatures for the proper length of time. In achieving the necessary high temperatures a large compost mass is important: as Frank says about 1.5 m on a side in the shape of a cube. A cube, next to a sphere, has the lowest surface area/mass ratio. This factor is especially important to achieving high internal temperature and especially in cold climates. Vere Scott http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/2001/compost/msg00232.html Patti Berg wrote: > > I read Jenkins' book and found it was wonderfully more than I asked for. I > learned a lot from this but still have some suspicions. I was just reading my > current issue of OG magazine and discovered an article warning against the use > of meat eating animal waste in the compost. I am surprised to find this > contradiction in this particular magazine. Yet with the world becoming > increasingly diseased, perhaps there may turn up some harmful organisms that > won't be affected by the 170 degree temperatures of the compost bin. > > Patti..... > > Vere Scott wrote: > > > Patti, > > > > Much better than an earth closet is a home-made compost toilet using dry, > > finished compost (light) rather than earth/soil (very heavy!) as covering > > medium. The compost toilet produces more compost which completes the > > endless cycle. > > > > See also Joseph C. Jenkins "Humanure Handbook", his web site and the > > following Humanure forum where you'll find most of your questions answered > > (check its archives). > > > > Vere Scott > > > > http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_humanure/index.html > >
