One question a potential bushcraft site owner has raised is that of latrines. Back when I was in the scouts I was taught a latrine trench had to be at least 2 ft (60 cm) deep and at least 100 yd (100 m) from any water course. At the end of the camp the trench was filled in and the ground marked as foul by a diagonal cross of sticks secured by staples of twigs.
Is this still good practice? If not, can someone tell me what is?
Nope, that's not the way to do it anymore!
The problem with burying your poopoos two feet deep is that you effectively put them into the subsoil which has very little, if any, live bacteria to break down and digest them. What you're doing is essentially entombing your poopoo for eternity!
Current thinking is to dig a shallow trench, about a spade's width and no more than a 8 to 12 inches deep and to cover the waste with an inch of soil at a time, finishing up with a final layer about 6 inches deep covering the top layer of waste. That way the wonderful bacteria in the soil will get to work and within a about 8 to 10 weeks, the poo becomes compost and is used by plants as food.
100 yards from the watercourse is a bit over cautious. 25 - 30 yards in normal soil is fine.
Hope this helps. Any comments anyone?