Paris -- Officials in Paris are trying to solve the city's problem with public urination by installing open-air urinals in several locations.



The urinals are fully exposed on street corners. They're painted bright red with signs pointing out their presence, according to CNN.



The urinals include a layer of straw to eliminate odor and were installed in areas where public urination is a problem. One near the Notre Dame cathedral has a great view of the River Seine, CNN said.



Residents aren't happy.



"There's no need to put something so immodest and ugly in such an historic spot," Paola Pellizzari said of the location near the river, according to Reuters. "It's beside the most beautiful townhouse on the island."



She also said the urinal, which is located about 20 yards from a school, "incites exhibitionism."



The owner of a nearby art gallery who declined to give his name said the idea was horrible.



"We're told we have to accept this, but this is absolutely unacceptable," the gallery owner said, according to Reuters. "It's destroying the legacy of the island. Can't people behave?"



The urinals are eco-friendly, according to CNN. They turn waste into compost for parks and gardens.



Ariel Weil, a district mayor in Paris, said the devices were necessary, according to Reuters.



"If we don't do anything, then men are just going to pee in the streets," he said.



He said if a specific urinal location was bothering people, officials could find another spot.



Four urinals have been installed in Paris so far with at least one more planned.



Cities in Belgium and Australia have experimented with open-air urinals as well, CNN said. Amsterdam has had them for years.

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