How far back has PooPeeDo?
During confinement, I had time to think. I had less work, I had to spend less. I started “do it yourself”. For cosmetics, cleaning products first. Then a tomato plant on the balcony. And finally a plot of collective vegetable garden. I have pasteurized and sterilized canned goods in my cellar. And reduced my spending on “consumables”. The last milestone to reduce bills was the toilets. Hence the dry toilet.
But there was a problem…
Composting! I contacted numerous associations to find out what to do with urine and stools. With the guys from the vegetable garden, I negotiated a small space for composting. But it’s quite far from my house. What to do in winter? We realized that the law does not say that we cannot compost stools and urine. But she doesn’t say we can either. There is a legal void there. With my new contacts, we created PooPeeDo. We are now trying to promote dry toilets. We have a demonstration space in Anderlecht to raise awareness of different composting techniques, to offer them to institutions and to show the political world that it works without any health problems.
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gullWe realized that the law does not say that we cannot compost stools and urine. But she doesn’t say we can either. There is a legal void there.
The history of agriculture and cities is linked to that of excrement.
For millennia, agriculture has operated on human urine. Moreover, farmers have long seen cities as a fertilizer deposit. Before draining, they got their supplies there. Industrial agriculture on the one hand, and the densification of cities on the other, have put an end to these age-old habits. Obviously, the growing population was no longer going to throw its shit out the window. The more cities became denser, the less it was possible to evacuate everything. And today, food safety agencies prohibit spreading feces and urine on crops, for hygiene reasons.
Is urine good for agriculture?
It contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, the 3 qualitative nutrients which, along with photosynthesis, are necessary for plant growth. It no longer needs to be proven: urine accelerates the growth of a whole series of plants necessary for human nutrition.
gullUrine contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, the 3 qualitative nutrients which, along with photosynthesis, are necessary for plant growth.
However, human excrement is not used in urban agriculture.
On the one hand, there is this legal vacuum. On the other hand, it is quite complicated technically. We need to develop a clear process. To avoid contamination by germs. This is what PooPeeDo works for. There are examples where it works, in Scandinavia in particular. La Fumainerie, in Bordeaux, collected and reused excrement in sustainable agriculture projects. Their experience lasted several years.
Are there any precautions to take when using these excrement-fed composts?
Microorganisms could in fact contaminate humans whose bodies have never been in contact with them. Transmission is possible, for example by touching. We therefore advise only using these composts with small fruits or shrubs. And not with leeks or potatoes. Mulching is also a way to protect against contamination. Our goal is in any case to bring these processes to a large scale.
It is often said that our excrement is polluted.
They contain the chemicals we consume. Those of medicines, PFAS… But I prefer to entrust them to bacteria which will decompose them in composts than to wastewater treatment plants which will let them pass. There is also the problem of eutrophication of rivers: the nitrogen feeds the aquatic plants which pump out all the oxygen, to the detriment of other organisms. Finally, there is estrogen from birth control pills which changes the sex of fish. All this could be treated by bacteria and mycelium from composts.
What about the impact of our toilets on clean water?
We are the only terrestrial species to shit in drinking water! From 10 to 15 liters for old models, from 3 to 7 liters for more modern flushes: a family of 3 people who flush the toilet 3 times a day, low average, that’s millions of m3 wasted. Saving them means reducing water consumption by a third. It is also a lower cost for the treatment plants since there will be fewer pollutants in the water. And therefore fewer taxes. And at the same time, we would reduce our dependence on agro-industry, on fertilizer multinationals, on producing countries like Ukraine and Russia to which the current conflict has shown our dependence.
So we need to tackle collection? Like Paris who plans to collect urine in a new eco-district ?
There will still be showers and taps, but we can already get water from rain tanks. Then, PooPeeDo does not advocate changing everything: we must rethink what we did well before, for the better. For example with a “brown bag” which would recycle our excrement in a treatment center to be created. We can also create mini-collection and treatment systems in neighborhood composts. The ideal would be to train architects and engineers to integrate new pipes that recover materials in situ, to collect or compost on site. Especially since sewer management is a budgetary and environmental disaster for the community.
gullThe ideal would be to train architects and engineers to integrate new pipes that recover materials in situ, to collect or compost on site.
Were there other precursor technologies?
We’ve already seen it all! Toilets that freeze materials before transport. Others who burn them directly. But designing toilets that heat up to 300 or 400 degrees is a gas factory. It’s almost science fiction.
Aren’t people afraid of smells?
If the compost is poorly managed, the urine can turn into ammonia and smell very strong, like a toilet that is not flushed properly. This is why the supply of dry matter is necessary, via the chips. This layer covers the feces and provides the carbon necessary for decomposition by microorganisms. In my house, it doesn’t smell any stronger than a regular toilet.
In an apartment, we don’t often have compost on hand.
This is where vermicompost can come in. It is a closed system which fits on a balcony and which collects the urine by a small pumping system.
gullWe’ve already seen it all! Toilets that freeze materials. Others who burn them. It’s almost science fiction.
Brussels Environment is testing dry vermicompost toilets in two parks. Useful ?
Of course, it makes sense to collect and compost in situ. This avoids going back and forth by truck to recycle it in a bio-methanization or composting center.
Revaluing our poops and pees is a total “unthinkable”: are the people of Brussels and the Belgians ready?
It’s a mental problem. People are already complaining about neighborhood composts, so the toilets! We must break the taboo.
Mapping dry toilets in Brussels and Wallonia to raise awareness
On the occasion of World Toilet Day this November 19, 2024, the associations Friends of the Earth – Belgium and PooPeeDo launched a collaborative map listing places equipped with dry toilets throughout Belgium. The aim of this map is to offer a practical and educational tool, to raise awareness and “de-marginalize” the practice of dry toilets: “Users of this interactive map will be able to locate places giving access to dry toilets, which These include cafes, public places, cultural centers or even individuals ready to open the door of their latrines to visitors. This initiative thus offers an opportunity to exchange, obtain information and freely test this method. ecological management of our water resources”, explain the associations.
Discover the interactive map below, which will be enriched:
