Dogs and cats had it right all along – their habit of peeing on trees and burying their waste maintains the closed loop system required for ecological sanitation. The nutrient cycle is at work when you ingest plant nutrients, your body takes what it needs, and excretes the rest through your waste. Plants convert these nutrients back into food, completing the cycle.
As humans started using the present-day sewer system, this cycle was broken.
Through new-age urinals that turn wee into plant nourishment or fertilisers, and composting toilets, scientists around the world are trying to re-establish the cycle.
The PPlanter
This sidewalk urinal http://vimeo.com/50660607 allows you to pee into a basin like a regular toilet. The water that you use to wash your hands, along with the urine, is run through a charcoal and zeolite filter that removes the ammonia smell. The wastewater is then deposited into a planter where further filtration happens using wood chips, rocks, straw and Styrofoam.
The useful parts of the urine – the nitrogen and phosphorus – are used for growing bamboo plants, thereby adding a little bit of green to the sidewalk. The best part for ladies – you can pee standing up, using a disposable funnel!
The prototype testing of this unique urinal is already complete, and the product will soon be available commercially in the USA, and may then find its way to Australia.
Fertiliser from urine
Another type of urinal developed in Amsterdam extracts phosphorus and nitrogen from urine and turns it into struvite – a slow-release fertiliser used in farms. The phosphorus in the urine used to crystallise and clog up pipes, but now instead of removing it afterwards, it is now separated from the urine, cleaned and used.
The idea of recycling every time you flush urine is hugely appealing to Amsterdam residents. Reclaiming phosphorus from urine is definitely a sustainable way of maintaining phosphorus supply – a much-needed mineral for all life.
Composting toilets
If you think solid waste is left out from such innovations, think again. In the history of mankind, composting human waste used to be the normal practice. Solid waste was collected, dried and burned as fuel, or used as fertiliser for farms and fields. Though modern sanitation systems have broken this natural cycle, scientists and researchers are trying to bring back the natural way – in a safer, more hygienic manner.
Composting toilets are hygienic and odourless – and an ecologically sustainable choice. Being a waterless solution, they are a good replacement for ordinary toilets in drought-prone areas. Simple organic decomposition is the basis for a composting toilet – carbon-rich material like wood shavings aid the decomposition process. The compost may be removed and buried after a year.
Composting toilets in Australia
Composting toilets are very much a reality in Australia – you can even have one installed in your home! Australian government however, places certain restrictions on the use of such toilets:
- You must first get approval from the Department of Health to ensure that only approved designs are chosen and that the unit is suitably installed at the right location.
- The material produced must be buried and not used for growing fruit trees or vegetable plants.
Composting toilets are being used in most national parks, tourist attractions, camping grounds and other public places, in addition to private homes.
Water-saving ideas
Composting toilets or the idea of using urine as fertilisers may not be for everyone. Even if the idea does not appeal to you, you can still do your bit for the environment by making a few small changes in your house:
- Install a rainwater harvesting system and rainwater tanks.
- Use water efficient appliances including taps, toilets and shower heads.
- Use cold water for laundry and line dry your clothes.
- Repair all leaks as soon as they are detected, even if they are small ones.
If you live on the North Shore or Sydney’s Northern beaches, our team at JEDI Plumbing is happy to assist you with all your plumbing jobs, from a simple leaky tap or full-scale bathroom remodelling.