The urine of thousands of women taking part in the London Marathon this Sunday will be recycled and turned into fertiliser for wheat.
More than 1,000 litres will be collected from PEEQUAL’s women’s urinals – which are 2.7 times faster to use than other portable toilets and reduce queues.
The company is pairing up with fellow Bristol-based start-up NPK Recovery to recycle urine and help reduce the event’s carbon footprint.
Wheat has been chosen because this crop is hungry for urine’s nitrogen content – and the fertiliser could help grow enough to make approximately 195 loaves of bread.
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‘Recycled into something amazing’
Runner Susan Farrell said: “It’s brilliant to think that the nervous wees of thousands of women are helping a good cause.
“I used PEEQUAL’s novel urinals at Glastonbury – their design means they don’t sacrifice privacy and it honestly felt like we were cheating by skipping the queues.
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“I used to watch guys breeze through and think, ‘Why can’t we have that?’
“Now we do, and I really hope we get to see them at more events.”
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Amber Probyn, co-founder of PEEQUAL, said: “We love coming to the TCS London Marathon because we firmly believe that women shouldn’t have to choose between starting their race on time or waiting to go to the loo.
“We’re really proud that 1,000 litres of wee won’t go to sewage, and will instead be recycled into something amazing.”
NPK Recovery uses bacteria to recover naturally occurring nutrients from the urine, creating a liquid fertiliser.
Hannah Vandenbergh, founder of the firm, said: “Urine doesn’t have to be a waste product and we’re excited to be playing a small part in helping support the sustainability commitments of the iconic TCS London Marathon.
“Ultimately, we want to help event organisers all over recycle their urine and reduce their carbon footprints.”
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Kate Chapman, head of sustainability at London Marathon Events, said: “Part of our environmental strategy is to try and find an ‘onward use’ for all waste that is generated at our events, for instance composting, reusing, upcycling and much more besides.
“We are delighted that the urine from the PEEQUAL urinals can be used for something so positive rather than going to waste.”
