Basic home essentially lacks a means of waste disposal (5)
I believe the answer is:
cabin
'basic home' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'essentially lacks a means of waste disposal' is the wordplay.
'essentially' indicates the central letters.
'means of waste disposal' becomes 'bin' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
The middle letter of 'lacks' is 'c'.
'c'+'a'+'bin'='CABIN'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cabin that I've seen before include "Lodge or hut" , "Chalet" , "One's own room aboard" , "modest accommodation" , "Wooden house" .)