It appears that the evolutionary process that many ascribe to has reverted back on itself. Where once the home dunny was a little shed out the back we moved it indoors for convenience sake.

Now, we're moving it back outside again. And all in the name of sustainable gardening.

I can just picture Amazon.com selling gazunders (those ceramic bowls that people would keep under their beds) to a whole new generation.

While there are many companies working on, and already providing, composting toilets that reside in situ in our homes, there's still a raw desire to have one of these in the yard. It seems earthy, more organic and somewhat more natural to leave your waste from whence it came than to deposit it within our dwellings.

But, can we go back to drop toilets that turn our waste into reusable compost or is this just a little too obscure? Have we come to appreciate deep sewerage as far more convenient?

How do composting toilets work?

There's not too much that opens and shuts when it comes to the technical aspects of a composting toilet. Look under the hood and you'll be instantly gratified with a stench that makes a day in hell seem appealing.

The main elements to this type of waste system are a breathing hole that draws in oxygen and emits most of the odorous smells. At the bottom is just plain earth with the sides surrounded by straw bales.

The concept is very simple, and innately natural. Just make a deposit as per normal, add a handful or peat moss, or better still some coir fibre, and prepare to move your outdoor loo every 12 months or so. Leave the composting material for a further 3 -6 months and then it's ready to put back into your garden.

For some people, using your own waste products on your garden may seem implausible. But remember that it's been fully composted and recycled into organic matter. Applying fresh human waste is not good for the garden at all, but as it's already been composted you can't go wrong.

A composting toilet in my backyard?

The idea is probably not the most palatable, let alone desirable, thoughts that will cross your mind. However, in the interests of self sustainable gardening practices it may be one that needs to be seriously pondered, and hopefully adopted.

At the very least, installing one of these Sun-Mar Indoor Composting Toilets (aff.) in your bathroom will certainly help our ecosystems.