Could urine become a valuable fertilizer again?
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People around the world produce about 500 litres of urine each year, a liquid rich in nutrients essential for plant growth.
For thousands of years, civilizations in Greece, China, and Rome used urine and feces to fertilize crops. Though synthetic fertilisers replaced these natural options in much of the world, smallholder farmers continue to use urine as a sustainable alternative when they cannot afford synthetic products.
The rising cost of synthetic fertilisers, worsened by events like the Iran war, is prompting renewed interest in “peecycling.” Historically, communities collected human waste for agricultural use, but modern sanitation systems shifted this perspective, treating urine as waste instead of a resource. The creation of synthetic fertilisers offered increased crop yields, but also introduced environmental concerns due to their production processes and potential for pollution.
Australia, for example, imports 3.5 to 4 million tonnes of synthetic fertiliser annually because its soils lack nutrients. Capturing urine separately from wastewater, through separate plumbing or devices like urinals, could provide a local source of nutrients. While challenges exist regarding potential pathogens and the need for consistent plumbing standards, programs in the United States, Europe, and Australia are already trialling urine-based fertilisers, working to overcome public perceptions and demonstrate its viability.
