News

In most months we have news worthy of posting but we don’t always get around to putting it up – as you can readily see by viewing the dates below!

If you know something about a NatSol toilet which seems worthy of a post on this page please let us know.

“Water, water, every where……Nor any drop to drink”*

*From the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Waterless AirFlush urinals

The UK gets through 14 billion litres of water everyday. It is estimated that more than 3 billion litres of that is wasted through leaks. On average, 30% of domestic water use is for flush toilets and, nationally, including water used for toilets in work places, about 2 billion litres is flushed down toilets every day.

All of NatSol’s products are waterless in that they do not use water for flushing.

It appears that 0.6 billion litres are used everyday in the UK for flushing urinals and yet these can be operated without flushing. NatSol sells what is probably the best system for waterless urinals – the AirFlushTM. Years ago the Building Research Establishment discovered that simply turning off the flush to urinals reduces odour because flushing generates an aerosol and makes the smelly components of urine become airborne.

NatSol’s urinals go much further than that by drawing air down the urinal pipework and expelling this through a vent, usually at roof level. No scented blocks, oil filled traps or consumables are needed – as typically used on other waterless urinal systems. In many cases it is possible to convert existing urinals to AirFlushTM without the need to install new urinal bowls. The AirFlushTM components have a long life expectancy thereby reducing maintenance costs, and they use very little energy. Go to: AirFlushTM to find out more.

Ivygreen allotments composting toilet

A composting toilet on Ivygreen Allotments, Manchester Ivygreen Allotments have a made short video about the process of installing one of our composting toilets on their allotment site. Here’s the link. The toilet was installed in September 2024 and utilises one of NatSol’s metal cabins.

NatSol’s sideways stretch

NatSol's spacious new officeWe were getting very cramped in Units 5 & 6 so when Unit 7 came up for rent we did a bit of business yoga and stretched sideways. The new office is spacious and we now have dedicated areas for packing and despatch, metal working and woodworking. It all helps to make us more efficient.

 

A Prize for Everyone’s Garden

Compost toilet at Everyone's GardenThis toilet in the Vale of Glamorgan won Platinum in the Loo of the Year Awards 2025 for the best eco toilet. It’s a NatSol Full Access Composter with metal building.

A lovely looking site.

Remote or remote?

Remote toilet in North PenninesSome of our inner city toilets qualify as remote because they are remote from mains services. This is often the case with large allotment sites.

And some of our toilets are on more obviously remote sites. This one is in the North Pennines and it serves walkers.

It's a Full Access Composter with timber building which, in this case, was supplied without grab rails as wheelchair users are unlikely to get to this site.

NatSol timber toilet building nearing completion

New toilets protect Cardiff’s water supply.

NatSol was called in by the National Trust to solve a problem at the very busy lay-by and car park at Pont ar Daf. The site is the principal starting point for walkers going up Pen y Fan, Bannau Brycheiniog. Welsh Water had been concerned for some time about discharges from the old toilet facility which had a septic tank and reed bed. The discharge from the reed bed was only a hundred metres or so from a stream running into the reservoir supplying Cardiff.

As a consequence the facility had been shut and toilet provision was by multiple portable chemical toilets.

We proposed a no flush toilet system which we had already installed in the Lake District for a National Trust site. That installation was to protect Wast Water England's cleanest lake. The design dates back to 2012 when we were asked to design a system for one of London's Royal Parks which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The Pont ar Daf site is now up and running and seems to be coping well with the high levels of use.
Building design by George +Tomos Penseiri Cyf.

Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve.

Nik Cain, Reserves Officer from Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, inherited a Full Access Composter at Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve that had been installed in 2007.

Andy, Ellen and Shaun payed a visit on the 22nd June and found that the toilet was in good condition needing little work.

We installed a urine separating "short plate" upgrade for  more efficient urine separation.

We also did some general maintenance such as clearing the urine gutter and cut away some overhanging branches from the vent cowl. Nik stayed for the whole service so he can continue the work in the future.

We believe it is work that should ideally be done locally to contribute towards net zero.

Bothy Stores

Bothy StoresBothy Stores are helping to raise awareness of NatSol toilets for use in bothies. In return we are posting information here about their project and website. Go to: Bothy Stores.

The Artist Bothy is an evolution of the Bothy Project network of off-grid artist residency spaces. Designed by the project’s founders, artist Bobby Niven and architect Iain MacLeod, it was developed in response to demand for a multipurpose self-contained cabin that can be located anywhere.

Bothy Stores is committed to using sustainable, innovative materials and streamlined building techniques to create simple, modern products. Modelled on the Bothy Project’s popular Inshriach Bothy, the Artist Bothy is a pioneering piece of low-impact architecture designed to enhance the experience of spending time in nature all year round.

Local public park gets new toilets

Easebourne Park waterless toiletsNatSol provided two fully accessible Zero Discharge toilets for this public park at Easebourne in West Sussex. Emptying is by slurry tanker. The highly effective ventilation is passive.

The two toilets will take around 10,000 uses before they need to be emptied. Little maintenance is required.

We also supplied the bespoke building. This was erected by Artizans who carried out the entire installation and supplied the roofing material.

Paddington moves in

Paddington moves inPaddington, minus his trademark hat, is seen heading towards a well installed toilet near Loch Lochy in Scotland. It is certainly a strong and durable building (our standard timber model for remote sites) and it already had one of the essential facilities of a dwelling - a toilet.

The picture was sent by the contractors, Philip Thompson Ltd, who were probably hiding behind a tree when this was snapped.

The toilet also serves people who wild camp on the Great Glen Way.

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