Pee-cycling, or urine diversion, is the sustainable practice of collecting urine separately from other wastewater to reuse its rich nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) as a natural fertilizer for crops, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and saving water. It creates a circular system, turning a waste product into a valuable resource for agriculture, with systems ranging from home-based gardening applications to larger-scale processing for commercial use.
Human urine is a good organic fertilizer for the crop/ plant growth and contributes positively to the better crop yields. We've tried it in our demonstration farm, and it worked well. The mixing solution may depend on the type of soil and the crop variety.
Urine's power as a fertiliser is due to the nitrogen and phosphorus that it contains – the same nutrients that are added to the synthetic fertilisers used on many conventional farms.
Urine can be used as a fertiliser without fear it will fuel the spread of antibiotic resistance, researchers have revealed – although they urge caution against using fresh bodily waste to water crops. Urine is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and has been used for generations to help plants grow.
Using Urine to Feed Plants
This practice is centuries old. Some gardeners will use it around fruit trees, or in their flower gardens. Some add it to their compost piles, or to strategically placed straw bales that later get added to compost piles or used to mulch vegetable beds.
If you're too desperate to make it inside the motorway services and opt for bushes or walls instead, you're still at risk of fines. Police have even put up warning posters at service stations following complaints about drivers urinating near picnic areas.
Though they may not realize it, they are continuing an ancient practice, as there is a long history of recycling of human urine as fertilizer. In recent years, home urine reuse has taken new relevance as a way to promote water quality and protect lakes and rivers from nutrient pollution.
Which Plants Benefit Most from Urine Fertilizer? Urine fertilizer is especially beneficial for plants that require high levels of nitrogen. Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, and arugula thrive with regular applications. So do brassicas like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
Fresh human urine is sterile and so free from bacteria. In fact it is so sterile that it can be drunk when fresh; it's only when it is older than 24 hours that the urea turns into ammonia, which is what causes the 'wee' smell.
Urine, as it happens, contains a number of beneficial nutrients commonly found in commercial fertilizer. "It has a fair amount of nitrogen, a little bit of phosphorus and potassium, which are all needed for a healthy lawn," says Owen Duckworth, associate professor of biogeochemistry at North Carolina State University.
Cow urine has natural pesticide properties that can help control pests and diseases in crops. The active compounds present in cow urine, such as neem and turmeric, have been found to have insecticidal and fungicidal properties that can prevent crop damage caused by pests and diseases (Baruah and Gaikwad, 2013).
Since every harvested crop contains a certain amount of water (known as a “moisture content”), the main purpose of drying is to reduce the crop moisture content to a level that is safe for storage. There are many ways how a farmer can manage drying.
Vermont is America's largest producer of maple syrup and also produces substantial crops of macintosh apples, honey, Christmas trees, and lumber.
Urea is now prepared commercially in vast amounts from liquid ammonia and liquid carbon dioxide. These two materials are combined under high pressures and elevated temperatures to form ammonium carbamate, which then decomposes at much lower pressures to yield urea and water.
Home-Based Pee-Cycling – Safe Pee-Cycling Practices
Urine is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—key nutrients that plants need to thrive. The process involves collecting urine, diluting it, and applying it to soil or compost.
Urine contains important nutrients for plant growth, including carbon, phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen, and when handled properly, it makes a darn fine plant food. Plus it's free, in a time when commercially-produced plant foods cost more every day.
The "21-second pee rule" comes from a scientific discovery that most mammals over about 3 kg (like dogs, cows, elephants) empty their bladders in roughly 21 seconds, regardless of their size, due to physics involving urethra length and gravity. For humans, this serves as a loose benchmark: urinating significantly faster (e.g., under 10 seconds) or slower (over 30 seconds) might signal holding it too long or an overactive bladder, though it's not an exact diagnosis.
Vinegar, a natural deodorizer, can be added to the washing machine, while baking soda can be used both as a pre-treatment paste and a laundry booster. Commercial odor-neutralizing sprays and specialized laundry detergents designed for removing pet odors are also excellent alternatives for treating elderly clothing.
One sign that you possibly have diabetes or high blood sugar is urine that smells sweet or fruity. The sweetness comes from sugar in your urine and is a sign your body is trying to get rid of extra sugar in your blood.
Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, considered the definitive work by many authorities, says “human excrement/urine attracts bears and should not be near your campsite.” The National Park Service promotes that belief as well, adding that the salt in urine attracts wild animals (including ...
Urine is a very good fertilizer that can be used both in household scale and large scale farming. It is suitable for example to fertilize food plants, ornamental plants, seedlings and trees. Urine can also be used to accelerate the composting process. Urine can be poured as such on top of the compost.
Using pee: a how-to guide. Keep in mind that urine is very high in nitrogen. You may need to pee daily, but your plants don't need your daily pee. Choose plants that need lots of nitrogen, such as corn and squash, tomatoes and cucumbers during their fruit-bearing stage, and older plants that need a boost.
Historically, urine has been used as a folk remedy for conditions such as:
Astronauts' urine and sweat are almost entirely recycled into drinking water with new system. The end result, says NASA, is that the crew is drinking water that is even cleaner than Earth's.
Cold water is the best choice for removing urine stains. Using hot water can actually set the proteins in urine, making the stain more difficult to remove. For best results, rinse or soak the stained item in cold water as soon as possible before washing.