additional commentary by State Rep. Timothy Horrigan; July 28, 2011
When I was first elected to the New
Hampshire House of Representatives in 2008, I was told that I would learn something
new every day. The other day, I learned about something I never
dreamed of: I learned of the existence of a device called the
"Incinolet" which is a fiery variation on a composting toilet.
You place a wax liner inside the toilet bowl, do your business, and
then press a foot pedal. The waste material drops into a
combustion chamber where a powerful electric oven incinerates your
poops for about an hour at a temperature of approximately 650°C
(the same as the melting point of magnesium.) Each cycle uses no water, and only about
1.5-2 kwH of electricity (about what you would use to power two dozen
old-fashioned incadescent lightbulbs for the same hour.) If
properly installed and maintained, this device is reasonably safe and
causes only minimal odor (although it sounds like a jet engine.)
Duane Besso of Londonderry, New Hampshire built a small house a few years back on a
property which was mostly wetlands and lacked the room for a septic
system. The town refused to let him live there— even after he
suggested installing an Incinolet. Their refusal to allow him to
install his incinerating toilet left Mr. Besso with no choice but to
file a House Petition
with the legislature. His demands were simple: he asked the
legislature to order the town to pay him a large sum of money, to order
the town to grant him each and every permit which he had been denied,
and to begin proceedings to remove two District Court judges from
office. This was in 2008-2009, when the Democrats were in charge,
and none of his demands were met.
