When Nature calls

ZenLoo is a waterless flushing toilet system designed for off‑grid and sensitive locations. Therefore, it’s nothing like a compost toilet. Users cannot see any visual human waste, nor are they disturbed by smell. No plumbing is needed for a ZenLoo, yet it still provides the “flush-and-forget” experience.

With the ZenLoo, there is a robustly engineered, patented sealing mechanism that sits underneath the toilet. It is never visible to the user, only to the servicer when changing the refill. The sealing mechanism creates a continuous airlock between the user and the stored waste, which sits below the toilet in a lined barrel. The sealing unit has several important features that enable this, including a geometry that allows liquid to pass thorough easily for maximal flush efficiency. Users describe the ZenLoo as “on par with a water flush toilet.” Some say it’s even better, as there is no splashing or faecal mist created during flushing, making it more hygienic. 

Yes, ZenLoo toilets are intended for off-grid solutions. They offer low-maintenance, stress and odorfree experiences for your guests.

It depends completely on your use case, but in a typical glamping scenario we’d suggest twice per week. However, a refill can last a full week. If you decide to swap out the barrel and remove the waste before the refill has run out, you can use a scissors to cut the refill above the barrel and tie a new knot.

This is dependent on usage.

A 16m liner which is calibrated to the large barrel and provides around 100 uses depending on how the toilet is used.

A customer can expect the large barrel to collect between 25kg and 45kg subject to the type of usage.

Customers can contract directly with Novus Environmental or Albus Environmental, depending on your region. Standard Operating Procedures must be followed for waste storage. These procedures are provided in our customer information pack.

You won’t need a specialist to install a ZenLoo. Any builder or carpenter can install the toilet following the specifications and instructions in the installation guide. 

The worst-case mishaps that can happen with the ZenLoo are the following: 

• If someone deliberately creates a tear in the liner, or flushes a lit cigarette down the toilet, you can have an incidence of a puncture in the liner. This can be a nuisance (it can mean wiping down the rubber belts in the sealing unit) but it does not lead to any major issues. 

• Belt misalignment, which can happen in cases of misuse such as flushing large objects or forcing the refill through the sealing mechanism. These occasions are rare, and can be fixed onsite by removing the sealing mechanism and realigning the belts. Our customer service team can provide a video showing how this is done, so no call-out is needed. 

• Customer reverses and advances the flush repeatedly without notifying the host. This can lead to the refill getting wrapped or entangled around the belts. When this happens, the refill needs to be manually removed and replaced. This is best avoided by installing the toilet such that your customers don’t have easy access to the control panel, and/or, concealing the reverse button beneath a white sticker. 

Typically, the ZenLoo is so easy to service that you don’t even need gloves. In the above instances we would recommend wearing gloves as you would cleaning any bathroom. The good news is, none of the above instances require a specialist engineer or call-out. This is one of the many reasons ZenLoo is more affordable than other options on the market. 

The ZenLoo is perfectly adapted to this setting, in that it does not require any maintenance in the off-season, and the costs of ownership and use are only incurred when the toilet is in use. 

As part of our installation guide, we’ll supply you with recommended instructions to give to your customers. They might discourage flushing large objects and cigarettes down the toilet, for example.

Unlike many other products in our sector, the ZenLoo does not ask customers to behave a certain way (for example, pee in a specific part of the toilet, spread sawdust, avoid toilet paper, etc). You simply “flush and forget.” If menstrual hygiene products or other objects are flushed down, it’s no problem. If someone accidentally flushes a needed object (e.g. a phone, or a wedding ring) it can be retrieved using the reverse feature.

The sealing mechanism contains a sensor that will stop the toilet flushing, and the display panel will read “blockage.” Flushing will cease operating until the blockage is cleared, and the reset button is pushed. This can be managed by your customers, or by the hosts,  depending on your use case. 

Well, it’s very different indeed. Nappy bins use a twisting motion to contain nappies in a tube of film. With the ZenLoo, there is a robustly engineered, patented sealing mechanism that sits underneath the toilet. It is never visible to the user, only to the servicer when changing the refill. The sealing mechanism creates a continuous airlock between the user and the stored waste, which sits below the toilet in a lined barrel. The sealing unit has several important features that enable this, including a geometry that allows liquid to pass thorough easily for maximal flush efficiency. Users describe the ZenLoo as “on par with a water flush toilet.” Some say it’s even better, as there is no splashing or faecal mist created during flushing, making it more hygienic.

The Laveo Dry Flush toilet is made in the USA and was recently introduced in the UK market. Like the ZenLoo, it is a packaging toilet, but it is fundamentally different from the ZenLoo. Firstly, its capacity is limited to about 20 visits between refill cartridges, which are much costlier than Zen refills. The cost per visit of a Laveo Dry Flush toilet is circa £1.20, while for Loowatt the cost per flush is around £0.05. Both estimated costs are based on consumables only and do not include waste disposal, but the Laveo Dry Flush includes coagulant such that it needs to be disposed of promptly via trade disposal routes, and it has a bulky, circular element at the top which likely adds to the volume and disposal frequency. The Laveo Dry Flush, given its size and capacity, might be more suitable for short trips or fish camps, while ZenLoo is more suitable for busier, installation settings like boutique camping. 

Zenloo waste removal with our service delivery partners in the UK is provided only when needed, and the price of removal approximately £1.10 per kilogram. This will bring your estimated price per flush up to circa £0.15 including waste removal, but the same increase (or more) will apply for the Laveo for waste removal. From an environmental standpoint, Laveo Dry Flush’s cartridge is made from high-carbon footprint, virgin materials such as Mylar, while Loowatt’s consumable is made from recycled material for a much-reduced carbon footprint. And as we grow sales, we plan to build a network in the UK to support more recycling and waste-to-value nutrient recovery, while every Zen toilet we sell also helps us build our impactful services in Africa including Loowatt MG and Kaloola.