It is almost impossible to find a public toilet in the US – and that creates problems.
When desperate people pee in doorways and alleys, it offends residents and drives customers away from local businesses.
Enter the PPlanter, a public urinal with an ecological twist. It uses biofilters – plants in a growing medium – to treat urine. Easy to move, it consumes less water than the average toilet and sink, while avoiding the harsh chemicals of conventional portable toilets. On top of all of that, its inventors claim it is odour-free.
The small booth of the PPlanter is not just for men: disposable funnels allow women to use the PPlanter standing up. The treatment process begins once the user washes their hands at a built-in sink. A foot pump pushes clean water through a faucet. The rinse water does double duty by flushing the urinal.
The water and urine empty into an air-tight tank; without exposure to air, urine does not produce malodorous ammonia. The liquids are pumped into a pallet-sized biofilter that is lightweight and movable, containing bamboo, wood chips, straw, rock and pectin-coated styrofoam. The bamboo takes up the water as well as nutrients in the urine, including nitrogen and phosphorus. Bacteria break down protein and carbohydrates. That leaves only salts.
Unconventional relief
The PPlanter was designed and built by the Hyphae Design Laboratory of Oakland, California. The idea was to reduce public urination while challenging people to rethink conventional plumbing. “Our goal is to refocus attention to developing ecological sanitation, making it aesthetically pleasing, clean, functional, and cool,” says lab founder Brent Bucknum.
Last year, Bucknum and his staff tested the PPlanter in a crowded San Francisco neighbourhood. It stood up well to heavy use and has relieved as many as 300 people over an 8-hour period. Now the city has ordered a permanent one with two urinals and a composting toilet. With proper maintenance, it should last 10-15 years. Additionally, Bucknum plans to rent PPlanters for festivals and events.
The Latest on: Toilet
via Google News
The Latest on: Toilet
- Jeremy Clarkson finds lowest point in a man’s life - 'Being dragged to buy toilet handles'on February 22, 2021 at 10:51 am
JEREMY CLARKSON - host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and The Grand Tour - has revealed he has found the "lowest point in a man's life" after being "dragged to buy toilet handles" to complete his ...
- Kojoboffour residents lament over 'death trap', 'health risk' toilet facilityon February 22, 2021 at 8:37 am
Residents of Kojoboffour, a suburb of Yeji in the Pru East District have called on authorities to turn an eye to a “death trap” and “health risk” toilet facility in the community. The toilet facility, ...
- Toilet Tips: How to use your toilet without running wateron February 22, 2021 at 7:33 am
With that in mind, here are a few tips, specifically toilet tips, on how to get by until the water comes back on: The first thing you'll want to do is fill your bathtub with water. If you were unable ...
- Roll with these Toilet Paper Pickson February 22, 2021 at 6:06 am
While the earliest ancestor of this product is believed to date back to 6th century China, toilet paper as we know it wasn’t widely used until the early 1900s when the indoor commode gained popularity ...
- Massachusetts police officer picks up toilet paper for woman who called department for helpon February 21, 2021 at 5:05 am
One police officer in Massachusetts made a special trip to the market over the weekend when a woman called the department asking for help. The woman called the Everett Police Department Friday morning ...
- It Takes 37 Gallons of Water to Make Just One Roll of Toilet Paper: These Are the 5 Best Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper Brands to Swap Inon February 20, 2021 at 10:05 am
Bring sustainability into your bathroom with these 5 eco-friendly toilet paper brands that are soft on your body and great for the planet.
- Sisters roll out eco-friendly toilet paper during pandemicon February 20, 2021 at 6:16 am
It wasn't too long ago when toilet paper was the hottest commodity in the country. While big-name brands dominate store shelves, there was enough room for a small startup headed by two sisters to roll ...
- Alaskan woman bitten in the butt by a bear while using the toileton February 19, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Erik came running, and the siblings first thought she’d been bitten by a smaller Alaskan animal like a squirrel or a mink. It wasn’t until after Erik took a headlamp to the outhouse that he noticed ...
- Owl rescued from inside Oregon public toileton February 19, 2021 at 8:41 am
Animal rescuers in Oregon said an owl was removed from the bottom of a public toilet and safely released back into the wild -- after a bath.
- Bear scratches woman as she sits on toilet where he was hidingon February 19, 2021 at 7:23 am
An Alaska woman had the scare of a lifetime when using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below.
via Bing News