Virro announced the launch of Renew, an advanced waterless toilet series that defines a new “ReGen” category of composting toilets. Renew is now available for presale at VirroLife.com, with the first units scheduled to ship Nov 15, 2026. Renew is the company’s first step in a larger mission of reinventing the toilet into a resource recovery system instead of a waste disposal system.
Virro Co-Founder and CEO Kevin Bartchlett has a long history in the design and manufacturing of composting toilets. Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Gaelan Brown brings decades of experience in product development, sales & marketing, commercial composting technology and urine-based fertilizer research.
“Renew aims to define a new category of waterless ReGen toilets that offer a next level user experience and an attractive style,” said Bartchlett. “While most people think of composting toilets as a potentially awkward option for RVs, vans, tiny houses, boats and cabins, our goal is that Renew offers such a great experience that people want it for all of those uses, and ultimately in their homes.”
Virro’s mission is much bigger than just creating a better toilet. The company aims to transform sanitation broadly by integrating best available technologies and processes to empower people to actually convert their biowaste into fertilizer. And while regulatory issues currently impede mass adoption of composting toilets in typical US homes and businesses, Virro’s founders intend to change that by providing solutions that actually convert waste into value.
The company founders recently published their “Manifesto”, which lays out their long term mission. “The topic of composting toilets is no longer just about RVs, boats and off-grid cabins, it’s about the economic and environmental foundations of our civilization,” said Brown. “I believe it’s time for ReGen toilets that actually solve the problem of human biowaste treatment, while conserving resources and saving people money.”
Renew features a modern visual style and is available in white, gray or black, adding beauty & dignity to any restroom. Renew’s design keeps liquids and solids separate, which helps reduce odors and allows urine and solids to be managed and processed separately for potential resource recovery.
Every Renew model features a premium, full-size standard toilet seat. Choose Renew Manual for hand-crank agitation, Renew Electric for 12V-powered agitation, or Renew Flex for both agitation methods and both urine-handling options. Renew’s design is engineered to control odors and provide flexible options for mobile or permanent installations.
The urine-diverting toilet bowl keeps liquids separated from the solids composting chamber, which in combination with other features eliminates the odors commonly associated with composting toilets. Renew’s urine-diverting trap-door covers the composting drum, enabling men to urinate while standing. Renew’s low-power requirements vary by function. Every model uses a continuous 12V DC aeration fan drawing approximately 0.02A, while Renew Electric and Renew Flex draw approximately 3A at 12V only while mixing.
Inside, a real composting process uses active mixing and aeration for aerobic composting. Urine can be diverted into existing drain plumbing, or stored in the optional internal tank that includes a full-sensor. A low power aeration fan continually brings oxygen into the composting drum, with an active carbon filter on the exhaust.
Renew can be easily installed directly on an existing toilet drain flange, with urine diverted into the drain, unlike most other composting toilets. Users can also easily switch between urine-storage or direct-drain, or between electric and manual compost mixing, enabling ultimate flexibility. “I am optimistic about our big picture goal of actually solving the sanitation waste issue, but it all boils down to creating a better user experience that saves people money and recovers value,” said Brown.
Urine can be a major source of odor in composting toilets. As explained in The Science Behind Urine, urea can break down into ammonia during storage, creating the familiar sharp odor. Separating urine from solids helps control odor in the solids chamber and supports the aerobic process described in The Science Behind Composting. Stored urine still requires proper management.
Virro is testing various urine additives that stabilize the nitrogen while also preventing odors, including commercial scale and residential scale systems that convert urine into dry fertilizer. “Urine deodorization and stabilization solutions are in development now, with several options for different applications,” said Brown. “In the short term we will offer simple affordable plant-safe additives people can use to eliminate urine odors while stabilizing the fertilizer value. In the long term we’re planning solutions for whole-buildings and whole neighborhoods.”