Have you ever needed to use the bathroom, only to discover that the only one available was a portable toilet? Suddenly, you decide you can probably wait. That's hardly surprising, as they tend to look bad, smell awful, and produce toxic waste. The good news is that researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada have a solution: the MycoToilet. It's the world’s first mushroom-powered waterless toilet. It uses mycelia (fungi’s root network) to convert human waste into compost. It’s wheelchair-accessible and requires just four maintenance visits a year. The structure consists of wooden panels equipped with a rot-resistant and antimicrobial cedar exterior, a green roof, and a low-power fan for air circulation. A system separates solid waste from liquid waste, and the solids are directed into a compartment lined with mycelium. Inside, microbes turn the solid waste into compost and the fungi absorb the odor. No added water, electricity or chemicals are required. Researchers estimate that the MycoToilet could produce roughly 158 gallons of soil and 528 gallons of liquid fertilizer annually. That would be a win-win, by turning waste into a solution that can reduce the use of potentially harmful chemical fertilizers.
