Saturday, April 3, 2010

Seattle's First Composting Toilet - Picaloo - is Open!


The Picardo Farm P-Patch's composting toilet is now open for business...no, literally. Dedication and unveiling ceremonies for the City of Seattle's first composting toilet took place today in Wedgwood.

Despite the chilly weather, a good-sized crowd cheered as Ciscoe, local gardening celebrity, cut the toilet paper to show the public restroom was finally ready.  The naming contest winner was also announced; Picaloo won out over Clivus, ePoo, Fecaltheque and Quadra-P.

Wondering why so much attention is on a bathroom?  Susie Rantz, from the Seattle-PI In North Seattle Blog, explains:
The Picardo Farm P-Patch has 220 garden plots and multiple gardeners per plot. Many of them tend the garden year-round, but water is only on for half the year, and there are no sewage or electrical hookups for a conventional public toilet.

For years, Picardo gardeners chipped in and leased a port-a-john. Although chained down, this unit occasionally was tipped over. Also, the Honey Bucket was only leased between April and October, leaving year-round gardeners limited options during the remainder of the year. While nearby Dahl Playfield has permanent public restrooms, they are locked up in November and not re-opened until the following spring.
For more details on Picaloo, read Susie's entire article here. Also, check out the City of Seattle's Picardo P-Patch page for more information on the huge garden/farm.

0 comments: