Nitrified Human #Urine as a #Sustainable and Socially Acceptable #Fertilizer: An Analysis of Consumer Acceptance in #MsunduziSouthAfrica

2019, Benjamin Wilde, et al.

Abstract

"#Sustainable #SmallholderFarming is contingent on fertilizer access. Soils across Africa are typically nutrient deficient, a condition exacerbated by long-term #NutrientMining. #NitrifiedUrineFertilizer is a nutrient-rich and hygienically safe solution derived from human urine. It has the potential to provide a sustainable source of soil nutrients to low and middle-income countries struggling with food insecurity challenges. This study presents findings of a survey that assessed public acceptance within Msunduzi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa towards the use of nitrified urine fertilizer. Results indicate that in general attitudes were much more positive towards the use of nitrified urine fertilizer than raw urine as a soil amendment. Residents living within rural zones of the municipality (78.5%), as opposed to urban (65.7%) and peri-urban (65.2%), and younger individuals within the sampled population were found to be the most receptive to the use of nitrified urine fertilizer. Our findings also underscore the complex set of factors that shape attitudes towards a topic such as the use of human waste as a fertilizer, which are crucial in shaping the legitimacy of an emerging #technology such as urine nitrification."

Full paper:
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2456

#SolarPunkSunday #ZeroWaste #NaturalFertilizer #HumanWaste #Sustainability #Science

Producing #EnvironmentallyFriendly #Fertilizer from Human #Urine
Apr 30, 2020

"Dr. Adey Desta, an Ethiopian Scientist has successfully produced an environmental friendly fertilizer from human urine. Unlike the synthetic fertilizers in the market, Dr. Adey's research has produced a cheap, water insoluble fertilizer that guards against leaching which in turn contaminates Rivers, Lakes, underneath water table etc. during rainy seasons."

Learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=w5cIRC7n0D0

#SolarPunkSunday #ZeroWaste #NaturalFertilizer #HumanWaste #Sustainability #Science

Drain the swamp, eh?

#HumanWaste backing up in basements is a gut-churning sign of US infrastructure problems

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and M.K. WILDEMAN
March 10, 2026

#WashingtonDC (AP) — "The January collapse of a pipe as wide as a car dumped so much sewage into the #PotomacRiver that officials tracked a spike of gut-wrenching bacteria drifting slowly past Washington for weeks, prompting an emergency declaration and federal assistance."

[...]

"President Donald #Trump called state and local leaders 'incompetent' over the spill, but some experts say his administration’s funding cuts are adding to the national problem."

Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/sewage-overflows-potomac-epa-water-trump-baltimore-be71eea20324a911142e1d0dfe627fa4

#USPol #TrumpSucks #TrumpIsFullOfShit #WashingtonDCIsFullOfShit

Woman preparing to gather 'night soil' (human waste) for agriculture, Fuzhou, China, ~1871

https://piefed.social/c/historyphotos/p/1799974/woman-preparing-to-gather-night-soil-human-waste-for-agriculture-fuzhou-china-1871

OnlineFirst - "Historicising sanitation work: Value, infrastructural labour and representation in colonial Bengal" by Sally Cawood and Pratik Mishra:

#humanwaste #caste #colonialarchive #value #infrastructurallabour #nightsoil #Bengal

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/25148486251400183

Good thing I have NO PLANS to go to the beach any time soon... Ugh! 🤢

Taking a dip #LaborDay weekend? Swimmers face fecal contamination at beaches along US coastline

By PATRICK WHITTLE and MINGSON LAU
Updated 10:15 AM EDT, August 30, 2025

OGUNQUIT, Maine (AP) — "Thousands of Americans will head to beaches for one last summer splash this Labor Day weekend, but taking a dip might be out of the question: Many of the beaches will caution against swimming because of unsafe levels of fecal contamination.

"Beaches from #CrystalRiverFL, to #OgunquitME, have been under advisories warning about water quality this week because of elevated levels of bacteria associated with fecal waste. The advisories typically discourage beachgoers from going in the water because the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, rashes and nausea.

"There have been closures this week at some of the country’s most popular beach destinations, including Keyes Memorial Beach in the #CapeCod village of Hyannis in Barnstable, Massachusetts; Benjamin’s Beach on #LongIsland in Bay Shore, New York; and a portion of the Imperial Beach shoreline near #SanDiego. Even on the pristine, white sand beaches of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Department of Health is warning of a high bacteria count at #KahaluuBeachPark on the #BigIsland.

"It’s a longstanding and widespread problem. Nearly two-thirds of beaches tested nationwide in 2024 experienced at least one day in which indicators of fecal contamination reached potentially unsafe levels, conservation group Environment America said in a report issued this summer.
"The group reviewed beaches on the coasts and #GreatLakes and found that 84% of #GulfCoast beaches exceeded the standard at least once. The number was 79% for #WestCoast beaches, 54% for #EastCoast beaches and 71% for #GreatLakes beaches.

"The report also said more than 450 beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least 25 percent of the days tested. A key reason is outdated water and #SewerSystems that allows contamination from #sewage to reach the places where people swim, said John Rumpler, clean water director and senior attorney with #EnvironmentAmerica.

" 'These beaches are a treasure for families across New England and across the country. They are a shared resource,' said Rumpler, who is based in Boston. 'We need to make the investment to make sure that literally our own #HumanWaste doesn’t wind up in the places where we are swimming.'

"Other factors have also played a role in contaminating beaches, including increasingly #SevereWeather that overwhelms sewage systems, and suburban sprawl that paves over natural areas and reduces the #ecosystem’s ability to absorb #stormwater, Rumpler said."

https://apnews.com/article/beaches-labor-day-fecal-swimming-b0141df7f40ad2914d4e2cd31182e9af

#OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #WaterContamination #Sewage #Pollution #HumanWaste

#Biochar from #HumanWaste could solve global #fertiliser shortages, study finds | #Agriculture | The Guardian

In the words of Blackadder, “You’ll be pleased to know there’s an inexhaustible supply of the stuff.”

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/aug/11/biochar-from-human-waste-could-solve-global-fertiliser-shortages-study-finds

#Environment #Farming #Charcoal #Conservation