Humanure composting is an adventure. There’s the buckets of waste and sawdust to take out every few days, no excuses. There’s the three or more compost bins to build and finding sources of sawdust.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Septic systems are designed to break down organic waste from the home, separating the waste into liquids and solids. While the ...

A hatch to a septic system spreading underground hides under a blanket of snow. (Photo: Donna Kallner) One day last summer when I was working the U.S. Census, I visited a cluster of homes on a narrow ...