What happens if the municipal wastewater system no longer works? A new project in Gävleborg will develop and test mobile and modular toilet solutions for emergency preparedness. CompostEra is participating as a technical partner.
The project is led by Sandviken Municipality through Sandbacka Science Park, together with, among others, Hofors and Ockelbo municipalities.
“The project is about turning preparedness into practical municipal capability. By developing and testing alternative toilet solutions in real-world environments, we want to build experience, methods and decision-making support that strengthen municipalities’ ability to manage situations where conventional wastewater systems are not functioning,” says Amanda Lööv, Project Manager at Sandbacka Science Park.
CompostEra contributes its expertise in waterless, composting and off-grid toilet solutions. The technology makes it possible to provide functional toilet facilities without connections to water, wastewater or the electricity grid. The solutions can also be designed to be mobile and rapidly deployed wherever they are needed.
As part of the project, different solutions will be built and tested in real-world environments. The focus will include functionality, capacity, hygiene, logistics and how the systems can be used by municipalities during extended disruptions to water and wastewater infrastructure.
For CompostEra, the project provides an opportunity to further develop and verify its technology for an important new application – emergency preparedness and resilience.
“This project could fundamentally change how we think about sanitation during times of crisis and emergency preparedness, but also in everyday situations. By developing mobile, modular off-grid composting toilets, we are creating alternatives that can be deployed when conventional wastewater systems are not available,” says Richard Cutler, Managing Director of CompostEra AB.
CompostEra provides more sustainable public toilets at Axmar Bruk
Two CompostEra toilet cabins at Axmar Bruk have demonstrated how public toilets can be made more pleasant, more sustainable and significantly more cost-effective – without water, sewage or frequent emptying.
At the historic Axmar Bruk, 40 km north of Gävle, Sweden, two CompostEra toilet cabins have been in use since June 2026. The toilets have demonstrated that a new generation of waterless, sewage-free toilets can work effectively even in locations with large numbers of visitors.
One of the cabins is located beside Axmar Bruk’s historic Hyttan, the former ironworks, while the second serves visitors at a popular outdoor swimming area. Axmar Bruk has more than 60,000 visitors each year, with various cultural events, concerts and weddings.
A better toilet experience for visitors
Traditional outhouses are not always the most pleasant solution for busy public spaces. Odours, unpleasant sights and the need for regular emptying can all become challenges during the summer season.
CompostEra toilet cabins take a fundamentally different approach. They operate without water, electricity or connection to a sewage system, using a controlled composting process to transform toilet waste into a stable and odourless liquid fertiliser that is free from bacteria associated with toilet wastewater. The cabins themselves are odour-free with limited visibility down the toilet, providing visitors with a considerably more pleasant toilet experience.
“We are extremely pleased with how well the cabins have performed at Axmar Bruk,” said Richard Cutler, Managing Director at CompostEra. “These are exactly the kind of environments where we wanted to demonstrate that our solutions can work – in busy public spaces.”
Eliminating the need for frequent emptying
The benefits are not only about the visitor experience. Axmar Bruk has been able to permanently close several of its traditional outhouses, which have previously cost up to 16,000 SEK per year to empty.
The CompostEra cabin at the swimming area alone avoided the need to empty the previous outhouses four times during July and August, representing a saving of approximately 3,200 SEK over just two months. And unlike conventional toilets, the CompostEra cabins are designed to operate for many years before the composting system needs to be emptied and restarted.
CompostEra toilet cabins can significantly reduce both operating costs and the logistical burden associated with public toilets in locations where sewage connections are unavailable or expensive.
“What is particularly exciting is seeing the economics work alongside the environmental benefits,” said Cutler. “We are demonstrating that a more pleasant and sustainable toilet solution does not have to mean higher operating costs. In fact, our solution can be a much more cost-effective way of providing public toilets.”
Turning waste into a resource
The environmental benefits extend beyond eliminating water consumption and sewage infrastructure. Because the CompostEra cabins do not require regular removal of toilet waste, they can substantially reduce the need for waste transportation – and the associated truck emissions.
They also avoid sending the waste to a conventional wastewater treatment plant. Instead, the composting process keeps the nutrients within a closed circular system.
During July and August, approximately 40 litres of odourless liquid fertiliser was collected from the two CompostEra toilet cabins at Axmar Bruk. Rather than treating this as waste, CompostEra’s agricultural partner will use it as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. The fertiliser will be used in Gävle in the spring 2027, creating a closed loop from human waste back into agriculture.
An off-grid toilet solution
One of the two CompostEra cabins at Axmar Bruk is also demonstrating the potential for completely off-grid operation. The cabin is powered by a solar panel and battery system, which eliminates the need for a connection to the electricity grid.
Combined with its waterless and sewage-free design, this means the cabin operates completely independently of conventional infrastructure – making the technology particularly attractive for remote locations, nature reserves, beaches, golf courses and other public spaces where connecting to water, sewage and electricity would be difficult or costly.
The future for more sustainable public toilets
The sturdy wooden CompostEra toilet cabins will continue to serve visitors at Axmar Bruk for many years. But for CompostEra, they represent an important milestone.
“Axmar Bruk gave us the opportunity to prove that our toilet cabins are not just an interesting concept – they can be a practical odour-free toilet solution that requires minimal maintenance, promotes the more circular use of resources and reduces costs,” concluded Cutler. “We will take what we have learned at Axmar Bruk and bring more waterless, sewage-free sanitation to more public spaces.”
More information
The two CompostEra toilet cabins at Axmar Bruk were financed by Gävle Municipality. According to Aktuell Hållbarhet’s ranking, Gävle was Sweden’s third most environmentally friendly municipality in 2025. www.gavle.se
Our off-grid toilet cabin is now up and running and open for visitors. Let us know if you would like to come see how the toilet works – and maybe even try it out for yourself!
The cabin is pleasant to use and requires no water or sewage connection. It even converts human waste to a fertiliser that we use in our garden. The system has a solar-battery to power the fan and light.
We also have a brand-new indoor toilet open to visitors on our property.
