CompostingToilets and Turkish Blue Card System

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SeamanStaines

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I am considering spending some time in Turkey next year and I cant see how we can get sufficient holding tank capacity to avoid having to visit a marina every few days to pump out (totally outside our means!). We currently have two 40ltr tanks which does for a few days but thats all.

I am wondering if it worth fitting a composting toilet (something like this http://http://www.airheadtoilet.com/ ) and if anyone has experience of how the turkish would react to that since it is outside of the blue card scheme but clearly removes the pollution issue.

We have three heads on board so I would just replace one. As far as I can see we would need to empty the solid matter about once a month, and it appears that can go into the normal rubbish as landfill leaving just the question of diposing of the liquid, which is certainly not as unpleasant, obvious or polluting (I thought if you dont just lose it over the side then a 40ltr container left on deck, sealed with an airvent would simply evaporate it pretty quickly?)
 
I am aware of this system, the ecomar 6:
http://tecnicomar.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=28&lang=en

It is being fitted to 10 new boats for the Turkish Coast Guard as we speak! They specifically requested no holding tank (for retention and pump out), though there is a holding tank before treatment and discharge.

This is the only system I am aware of that is fully IMO/Marpol compliant and is LR type approved. I suppose if they have it, it is difficult to argue that it is not suitable! (but not impossible, this is still Turkey)

However, I think most people just sail about 3 miles offshore (if you're lucky) and discharge the traditional way!
 
Right........... That looks a low cost, small, light, easily installable solution, ideal for a small yacht :-(

I appreciate everything that is said about simply ignoring it, but having had some experience of the Turks and all you need is to upset one and the whole weight of their legal system descends on you! I really don't want to spend a summer constantly worrying about not pumping out and ultimately getting into a major situation with it.
 
Good morning:

I would like to see reports from anyone who has actually had any aggro with the coast guard concerning pump outs.

Yes, I understand the coast guard has asked for "blue cards" and insisted that everyone have a "blue card" but has anyone actually had any difficulty for not having any data/pump outs registered on the cards?

Cheers

Squeaky
 
We bought and registered our Blue Card at the insistance of Marti Marina in May (20TL) and were told to ask the fuel pump attendant 50 metres away to 'record' our first pump out on the smartcard. Our boat didn't leave the dock! The Datca pump out facility can only be used by gullets as the equipment is to large for pleasure craft, and here in Gocek five months later we have just experienced our first and only 'real' pump out at MarinTurk (costing another 20 TL). My advice: do as you have always done responsibly, and interperet the Blue Card system as advisory just as the Turks do.
 
I really did not want to reopen the debate on the rights and wrongs of the blue card system or how it is enforced. My interest was if the composting toilet would circumnavigate the requirement to comply with the waste disposal requirement (as the composting toilet clearly would not create either the same type or amount of waste.

Does anyone have any idea on the Turkish take on this?
 
As far as the Turkish take is concerned, the system I mentioned before, is the only one that the Turkish Coast Guard accepts.

Unless the system is IMO/Marpol compliant and class/type approved its not accepted as far as I am aware.

However, wherever you go in Turkey there will be a different interpretation! If you are looking for a cast iron guarantee, or uniform interpretation of the law, you're looking in the wrong place! (Turkey I mean)
 
It is however a shame they can't sort 'something' sensible and workable out. I do have some sypmathy with the idea of trying to keep their coastline/sea clean after seeing what has happened in Greece since I was a lad. Then (1976) the sea was teaming with marine life of all shapes and sizes. These days a snorkel session is more akin to watching that B&W ariel footage of Hiroshima after the bomb.......

Seriously depressing.


C.
 
In reply to your original posting your two 40 litre tanks will be more than adequate.

To try and clarify the situation:

1. The Blue Water scheme appears to apply to "stagnant Water" areas only - i.e enclosed bays. As far as we know there's nothing to say you can't pump out as usual offshore.

2. There is no laid down amount as to how big the tanks must be or how often you must pump out.

3. Grey water tanks are not required.

4. No body is checking to see if your grey water is going into the black water tanks.

5. You must have a Blue Card, but only need to use it occasionally. That for us means once in 5 months.

We have been cruising here all year and had our first "FREE" pump out in Kas marina yesterday. We had to wait 10 minutes for the Sh*t man to come to operate the pump that was in the fuel station. It doesn't measure the volume pumped out - works on time - so about 100 litres was their guess. The Fuel station did not have the card reader or a computer so we had a very long walk to the marina office to get the information on the card. It took another 10 minutes for the receptionist to find the card reader and then install the software. When I asked why the delay she said that the software slows down the computer - and anyway they only use it once every three days or so.

This experience demonstrates that the system is not working and that no one is really using it. Just having the Blue Card is the important thing - you could take their pump out pipe into the galley and give them 40 litres of sea water from the sink and they would be happy.
 
Our holding tanks have the deck pump out fitting, and like many tanks in Turkey, they also have a breather pipe connected to the top of the tank.

The pumpout facility at MarinTurk in Gocek works by suction (or is suppossed to). IE. It doesn't get put all the way to the bottom of the tank. The nozzle of the hose seals the deck fitting only. They plugged in, sucked away whilst the chap tootled off to fill in the amount (guessed at 60 Litres). Few hours later, we were discussing this as we departed the coast.

You guessed it! Full tanks still!

Kids nowadays call that "FAIL!"

PT.
 
truscott said:
Our holding tanks have the deck pump out fitting, and like many tanks in Turkey, they also have a breather pipe connected to the top of the tank.

The pumpout facility at MarinTurk in Gocek works by suction (or is suppossed to). IE. It doesn't get put all the way to the bottom of the tank. The nozzle of the hose seals the deck fitting only. They plugged in, sucked away whilst the chap tootled off to fill in the amount (guessed at 60 Litres). Few hours later, we were discussing this as we departed the coast.

You guessed it! Full tanks still!

Kids nowadays call that "FAIL!"

PT.
Click to expand...

This is the internationally accepted method and the deck pump out connection on the boat is usually taken to the bottom of the holding tank with a dipper tube fitted in the holding tank. There should be no need for the pump out facility to reach down into the holding tank.

Some boats have a medley of change over cocks to allow the boat to use one of its pumps to pump from the holding tank to the deck connection and if these are not set correctly then a shore pump out may not be successful as in your case.
 
Ok. Guess that either my tanks don't have this, or that the pump out process isn't as efficient as it should be. The tanks were made locally in Turkey, so assume that they're the same as most others that are being used for the Blue Card.
 
Our holding tanks are similar and when I read the boat manual it specifically states that the 'waste' fitting on the deck is not for pumping out, it is to allow you to use pumped water to 'flush' the tank. I think this is pretty common on charter boats as punters always introduce toilet tissue which collects in the bottom of the tank. The flush water lifts all of this and mixes it up sufficiently to unclog a blocked tank.

As a result though they cant be used for pumping out. I have a 'mod' which is basically a drilled out screw in cap with a long pipe in it. I screw this into the waste fitting and then attach the suction hose to the top.

Would be somewhat more difficult if the fitting was not situated directly over the tank and you do end up with a pretty sh**ty fitting!
 
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