Peecycling: Vermont farmers recycling project for fertilizing crops: “It’s going to help plants grow”

The ancient practice of using human and animal waste as organic, natural fertilizers is being wholeheartedly revived by farmers in Vermont.

Cow dung and urine were probably the first primitive fertilizers, known to be widely employed in China, India and the Roman Empire. Cow dung is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as trace elements (copper, iron and zinc). It also contains microorganisms that enhance soil fertility and plant growth. Urine meanwhile, contains high levels of nitrogen, amines, urea and minerals - ingredients which make it a strong fertilizer and pest repellent.

What is Peecycling?

The Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program (UNRP) was set up in 2012 and is run by the Rich Earth Institute (REI). It collects urine from donors within the local community for agricultural use - a practice known as Peecycling.

In the first year of the program, 600 gallons of urine were collected and donated to farmers. Today, it is the largest community-scale urine nutrient recycling program in the United States, harvesting over 12,000 gallons of urine every year.

How is human urine collected and treated for recycling?

The UNRP uses Urine Diversion - which essentially means keeping human urine separate from the rest of the sewage stream. This way, vital nutrients are retained and their properties can be put to the best agricultural use.

Urine is collected and stored in portable, five-gallon cubies which donors keep in their own homes. Once full, a water-tight cap seals the cubie, which is then transported to Rich Earth’s urine depot.

The urine has to be treated, in line with WHO guidelines. The liquid is pasteurized and sanitized - by heating it to 80 degrees Celsius (176F) for 90 seconds in high-efficiency heat exchangers. Large volumes can be similarly treated by high temperature composting and ultraviolet exposure.

Peecycling, the new growth industry taking off

The natural fertilizer is then stored and ready to be applied in exactly the same way as commercial, chemical fertilizers. The are many benefits of using urine as a natural fertilizer - it’s a sustainable method of boosting harvests and the savings on water are significant. Over 2,300,000 gallons of water have been saved since the second year of the program in 2013.

Hundreds of members of the local community in Windham County have joined the program. One of them, Betsy Williams, told the BBC: “We’re consuming all of these things that have nutrients in them, and then a lot of the nutrients that are passing through us can then get recycled back into helping create food for us and for animals. So to me, it’s logical”.

Swedish company develops Peecycling toilet

The Peecycling trend isn’t just restricted to Vermont. Similar urine-based fertiliser projects are running in Kenya, South Africa, Nepal and Niger Republic. Gotland-based Swedish firm Sanitation 360 have developed a urine stabilizer and urine cassette which captures, treats and concentrates urine - preserving and concentrating almost all of the nitrogen to produce a solid-based, regenerative urine fertilizer, which resolves storage issues.

So next time you visit the bathroom to “change the tiger’s water”, consider putting your urine to good use instead of flushing it away.

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