Waterless urinals can save significant amounts of water but they can also be used to separate concentrated urine at source. Urine collection in established buildings is often costly because the plumbing system must be retrofitted for separate urine pipes. In addition, waterless urinals often have issues with blockages because of solids building up in the piping system.

To solve these challenges, we have developed a fertilizer-producing urinal that uses no water and does not have to be connected to a conventional sewage line to operate. We designed and constructed the urinal using a plastic funnel and collection tank. The urinal recovered 11.23 ± 1.3 g of solid fertilizer per kg of urine and we found that 1000 nutrient recovery urinals could produce an income of $85/day. This novel approach offers a new and easy method for collecting urine within office blocks or other commercial buildings. In addition, the recycling of nutrients at source offers a more sustainable and environmentally method for fertilizer production since minimal energy is required and “waste” streams are converted into useful products.