It was mentioned that in theory the 1m^2 bin could handle up to 12 people. We have one toilet serving 8 full time residents, plus 2 more people that frequent. It sounds like some systems on this forum have successfully serviced up to 6 people so far. I'm wondering about constructing a 2-bin system with a way to move the input from one to the other if/as needed, perhaps using a rubber elbow connector that could be loosened and re-tightened. The hypothesis is that the resting bin will break down and be ready to go back into use by the time the second one needs to rotate out. Does this sound like a reasonable approach? I guess my primary worry is that it might be at higher risk of clogging if I don't rotate it in time.
The greatest number of people served by one 1m³ tank I've heard of so far is our local community education project which handles 40-50 children and 5 adults 3-4 days a week during term times. Those worms worked their little asses off! Amazingly, the tank never blocked (kids can use a whole heap of toilet paper which can lead to problems) although it did fill up within 2 years so they installed another and now switch between the two.
I certainly wouldn't recommend pushing a tank to its limits, but it does show what's possible with a system when it's working well. I think the 2-bin idea is a good one. It's what Anna Edey did with her original system. And it offers a handy and convenient solution for dealing with a temporary oversupply situation in one tank, which will often correct itself when given time to adjest.
Wendy, thanks for the info! Do you know if they continued to periodically add more bedding (e.g. wood chips)? Did they have to do anything to manage the abundant toilet paper?
@sparksb I don't know for certain, but at least 2 of the facilitators have worm tanks at home so likely they will have added more organic material (unlikely to be woodchips - they're not easy to come by here - we use naturally sourced material for the most part). Next time I see them I will try to remember to ask about the toilet paper, but in this country it's customary to put toilet paper in a bin rather than the toilet, so very possible they do that.
