Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
One of 7 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
Supplemental insulation or heating likely needed to sustain mesophilic temperatures through a Normandy winter (per its own description)
A sealed tank where food scraps break down without air, helped by bacteria that make methane. It gives two things: gas for a cooker burner, and a liquid fertiliser. The bacteria need warmth, so in a cool climate like Normandy’s the tank must be insulated or heated, or its output drops in winter.
15-20 years for a well-built fixed-dome or flexible-bladder digester vessel; the bladder/membrane component (if flexible-bladder type) needs earlier replacement
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Household anaerobic biodigester (biogas + digestate) (This page) Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Regular · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want cooking gas and liquid fertiliser from your food scraps.
Active compost pile Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Regular · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have a garden and want compost from kitchen and garden waste, with heat to spare.
Bokashi fermentation composting Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to process cooked food and meat scraps in a sealed kitchen bin.
Biochar production (pyrolysis of woody waste) Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have woody prunings and want a soil improver that lasts a very long time.
Electric kitchen food waste composter/digester Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Regular · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want scraps gone in hours with no smell, pests or effort.
Vermicomposting (worm bin) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want compost and plant feed from scraps, indoors, with no garden.
Black soldier fly larvae composter Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Heavy · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want kitchen scraps, cooked food included, gone in days and turned into feed for hens or fish.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.