The first urine collection point has opened in France

The precious liquid is recycled for use by a farmer on his farm.

Pee used as fertilizer! The first voluntary urine collection point in France was inaugurated on Wednesday 18 September in Châtillon in Hauts-de-Seine. Members of an AMAP, Association for the maintenance of peasant agriculture, have agreed to participate in this project supported by the National School of Civil Engineers. Although the premises provided were inaugurated on Wednesday by the mayor, the system has actually been in existence for a year.

Since he took part in this project, Nicolas no longer sees his urine in the same way: “I came to bring back nutrients that I was able to eat thanks to the vegetables from our market gardener to give back these nutrients which will return to his land.” He is one of the twenty or so people who come to empty their urine every week, but there is no question of getting it everywhere. “We put the can down and start the pump to transfer”Nicolas explains cautiously. This device was designed by designer Louise Raguet, head of the project “Enville, human fertilizers for cities”, supported by the Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées. “It was very important that there was no risk of spillage or smell, both for oneself and, of course, for everyone else, whether they were involved in the project or not.”she emphasizes.

When the 300 tank liters is filled, the farmer who works with this AMAP comes to empty it with a similar system installed on his truck. He can then use it on his farm, in Loiret. “Urine is rich in nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. So urine can completely replace chemical fertilizers in terms of fertilizing efficiency, specifies the designer. For the moment, he mainly uses it on his meadows, which allows him to start doing small tests. It is not used in his market garden production. But it could definitely be, it is very effective for leeks, cabbages, spinach…”

For Louise Raguet, large-scale use is possible, particularly for cereals. But for this, pure urine is needed, which is difficult to recover in treatment plants. “Since in fact we are mixing 1.3 liter of urine per day in 150 liters of wastewater that we produce per day and per person. And so, once all this arrives at the wastewater treatment plant, it is very difficult to recover the nutrients. We often even have to destroy them so that it does not become pollution in the river”she explains.

For all these reasons, Nicolas cannot imagine going back: “Behind the initial pout, we arrive at common sense, we arrive at an ultimately easy commitment to preserve our planet a little more.” It is with this objective that a larger-scale project will see the light of day in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, with 600 apartments equipped with a special toilet, designed to collect the precious liquid.