Urine as fertilizer

[watervole]

I've been wondering about this for many years, ever since visiting the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales where they had collection bottles in the gent's loos.

I've just found a report of a study done in Finland that says it works every bit as well as conventional fertilizers and that urine is virtually sterile and thus there is no health

Comments

[veronica_milvus]

Putting urine on a compost heap is a good idea, as the compost is often carbon-rich but nitrogen-poor. Urine is sterile when in the bladder, but tends to collect bacteria on the way out, if you get my drift, but most of those bacteria probably don't survive away from the moist warm surfaces of the body. Faeces is a different issue. They are full of E.coli and could pose problems when added to food plants. I suppose people used human faeces in former times but then, many of them had parasites, and a lot died young.

Some sewage farms do dry down the processed and sterilised sewage and sell the residue as fertiliser. I remember hearing about "Yorkshire Gold" a few years ago, which was exactly that. People who bought it complained that tomato plants grew everywhere the Yorkshire Gold had been. Hardy little buggers, tomato seeds. Pasteurising doesn't seem to touch them.

[johnrw]

Hardy little buggers, tomato seeds. Pasteurising doesn't seem to touch them.

Never mind pasteurisation, tomato seeds have grown after the tomatoes were canned! I have no idea what the viability rate was, but it shows up in wartime memoirs - particularly Burma railway. also European pow camps. Tomato source; Red Cross parcels.

[purple_peril]

I suspect you already know that you can't use human faeces as-is, right? Too many nasty bugs. You'd need to rot it down for a long while (from six months but about 5 years seems to be optimum says Google). Get a composting loo!

[watervole]

I keep thinking about a composting loo. Have you seen any designs that are practical for indoor use in a small room?

[ext_9692]

Never quite as odor free as the vendors would have you believe...

[purple_peril]

Apparently most local authorities won't let you have one if sewerage is available.
Have a google.

[johnrw]

Haven't read the links, so I may be duplicating. Urea is 46% nitrogen, so high in fact that you can 'burn' the crop if you are not careful.

Best way of improving the soil is to buy a bale (hand carry size not big round or Heston!)of straw dig a hole to sit it in and create a latrine over the top, use that for a period (from aweek to a month or so then leave for a further period before mixing into your compost.

Alternatively pour collected urine over bale, allow to soak for a period them mix into compost heap. You need the straw to absorb and give structure otherwise you risk turning the compost heap into a soggy mess.

[inamac]

From time to time Gardener's Question Time recommends urine as fertiliser (particularly for rhubarb apparently) It makes for surreal radio...

Composting earth closets are becoming fairly popular in eco-sites - try googling for them.

[darth_tigger]

A gentleman of my acquaintance used to (and for all I know still does) add urine directly to the compost heap, if you see what I mean, when outside having a smoke. Bit more difficult for females!