Is peeing outdoors the right thing to do?
By Karina | June 22, 2009
I have to apologize in advance if this is the kind of topic that some of y’all may not be into first thing on a Monday morning. I know what you mean! on the other hand, I have nephews, and we got endless joy in my family hearing stories about how one of them (who will remain nameless, in the possibility that at one point he may want to run for public office) for a while refused to pee in bathrooms while on the road, insisting instead that his parents pull the car over so he could pee on a tree.
I recently read a post over at Treehugger asking if peeing in pubic is GREEN. The author makes some compelling points - he suggests (as the NYTimes has before) that there are important nutrients in urine that perhaps could be put to better use than flushed down the toilet. Of course, the author maybe slightly pro-public-urination - he also says this:
For those of us in the country, the at-home solution is easy enough. I regularly pee in my yard. Not only does this save water - but it has other uses too. A quick sprinkle of the compost heap helps start the decomposition process, and let’s not forget that urine is an important source of phosphate. I also pee around the flower beds and chicken coop to keep deer and raccoons away. And if you want to do more, check out how to use urine as a fertilizer.
I guess it really comes down to this: right now, agriculture relies on fertilizers to get crazy yields and it turns out that overuse of fields results in nutrient deficiencies. Urine is a good source of these nutrients! However, in an urban environment, how do you get the phosphate and nitrogen in urine out to where it’s needed for farming? I haven’t done the work here, do any of you know? can you just collect and dry and ship?
More immediately, we’re talking about putting in a fairly poorly structured compost heap in the back of the yard for our veggie scraps, and there is a little bit of concern about rats or racoons making free with the smorgasbord (ala the Templeton the Rat from Charlotte’s Web). But if I could just coerce some of the gentlemen of the house (younger or older) to, erm, mark their terratory, maybe this wouldn’t be a problem?
What are your feelings on this sensitive issue?
[[Instructional Photo by flickr user lantzilla via creative commons license.]]
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I LOVE THIS POST! Viva la Tiny Choices!
I don’t have any direct experience with peeing on veggie gardens or compost heaps, but I will admit that I love peeing outdoors (while hiking/camping– I don’t go into my Brooklyn backyard to do so…)
Also, I can’t seem to locate any links right now, but there’s a movement afoot to popularize “separating” toilets– which do exactly what your illustration up top does– separates out urine and feces, so they both can be optimally managed and used purposefully, instead of just flushed away. I think that’s really exciting.
the NYTimes article I linked to discusses it a little bit - but not the nuts and bolts.
All I have to say is that this “nephew” of yours is now passing on his love of outdoor peeing to his little sister, it is much harder to explain to a 2 year old how hard it can be for a girl to pee outdoors. I am sure she will be a pro at it sooner than later.
I forgot to mention how much his father, who grew up on the suburbs, totally blames this situation on me.
well, it probably is all your fault. I mean, where ELSE would your SON learn to pee standing up…. OH WAIT. totally not your fault.
My niece is a champion standing-up pee-er. I think it’s a great skill to have.
Yes, it’s a handy skill…. but one must realize that a young, that is quite young, boy might have trouble differentiating between acceptable locations. Once when my now nearly 40 yr. old son was a tot, we were standing around outside talking after Church, and our little boy was relieving himself on the Church lawn. :-0
[…] Tiny Choices debates the eco-ethics of peeing outside. […]
My dog takes care of peeing au plain aire for me.
As a woman I suspect it would be useful if you need to practise how to use a squat toilet before going on a trip to an Asian country. :)
I have had compost heaps in a city, several towns and in the country. I have peed on my country heaps but have never had trouble with mice, rats, coons or possums anywhere. The idea that human pee discourages deer or coons is mostly rural legend.
May I add another use for outdoor peeing? Putting out camp fires. We have some friends who have a couple of acres on the edge of town and we regularly join them for fireside chats out in the yard. When the boys - now college age - were much younger, they thought it was so cool to go “put the fire out”. The adults ran for the house to avoid the smell, but the boys had a blast. Probably more than you wanted to know :-).
” …in an urban environment, how do you get the phosphate and nitrogen in urine out to where it’s needed for farming?”
Locally sourced fertilizers can be shipped as liquid concentrate; the trappers who are the only source I know concerned with storage (mainly, though not entirely, of non-human urines) say it can be kept for as long as a year if tightly sealed, and away from heat and direct sunlight, though gardeners and farmers agree it’s best if used fresh. Just dilute and apply!
If drying is necessary–say, for use in machinery designed to apply only fertilizer crystals–it can be done low-tech, by simply allowing to dry on glass or a similar surface and then scraping the residue, or more intensively (vacuum, chemical additions, etc.). But I imagine there’s some infrastructure questions there; though I have never done it, I’d imagine the low-tech drying would result in some off odors…
On another note: why would you consider a poorly constructed compost heap? If you’re going to do it, do it well! Or is there some benefit I’ve not yet seen?
DSF
http://bokashislope.blogspot.com
pickled compost=prolific garden
I recently started a compost pile. When researching the best way to do this, I was surprised at the number of sites that recommend using urine, and touting the ability of men to enjoy directly adding to the pile.
Not to be outdone, I have discovered the following site:
http://otoh.org/mirror/restrooms.org/standing.html
The “problems” link on the page doesn’t work, but this one might:
http://web.archive.org/web/20021201123416/www.restrooms.org/problems.html
My elderly parents would be mortified, having tried to instill in me a lifelong “ick” factor. But I’ve found that you guys are right. It IS fun! I probably can’t compete with you on the height of the arch, but maybe for distance?
I’m becoming an expert! By winter, I hope to be able to write my name in the snow in block letters (an enjoyable way to do kegel exercises).
My compost pile doesn’t smell any different than any other correctly made pile, so don’t think I’m risking a problem with my neighbors. And I have my pile located where I will enjoy a reasonable amount of privacy (sight and sound), even at high noon.
BTW, check out this fascinating site on how using urine for fertilizer is helping the hungry:
http://www.journeytoforever.org/garden_con-mexico.html
And please, NEVER NEVER NEVER use lakes, streams or any bodies of water for your toilet! Urine on compost is a free, easy, and efficient activator. Urine on the ground will be filtered or dissipated without damaging the ecosystem. But urine in waterways
Yes, peeing outside is just good, old fashioned, plain fun. I love to see how far, long, or high I can shoot my stream. I have peed outside since I was 12 & I still go outside to pee in the yard. It also saves water from flushing. Fill that bladder full and then go outside and let it fly.