Dezeen Magazine

L'Uritonnoir by Faltazi

This outdoor urinal by French design studio Faltazi slots into a straw bale to recycle pee from festivalgoers into compost.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

L'Uritonnoir is a cross between a urinal ("urinoir" in French) and a funnel ("entonnoir") and was designed by Faltazi as a tidy and eco-friendly method of outdoor sanitation.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

To set up a urinal, L'Uritonnoir is pushed into the side of a straw bale and fixed in a place by looping a strap through its top holes.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

As the bale collects liquid, nitrogen from urine combines with carbon in the straw and starts a process of decomposition.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

After use, the bale can either be taken to a local composting facility or left on the spot for six to 12 months to become compost, before being scattered on the soil or used as a planter.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

The urinal comes in two versions – the flat-pack polypropylene DIY model and the stainless steel Deluxe model.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

Production starts in June and the Uritonnoir will debut at French heavy metal festival Hellfest that month.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

A couple of festival toilets have appeared on Dezeen before – a urinal designed for women and another urinal that straps around tree trunks.

L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores

We've also published a single-use, disposable toilet made for developing countries – see all toilets on Dezeen.

Here's some more information from the designers:


L'Uritonnoir by Les Ekovores, part of Faltazi

Uritonnoir, french noun. This term refers to a sanitation facility intended to urinate in standing position. An uritonnoir is a hybridisation of two everyday products, an urinal and a funnel (literally in french, "urinnoir" et "entonnoir"). This system is used either used in public spaces during festive events (slotted into round bales) or in private gardens (slotted into small straw bundles). L'Uritonnoir is an utensil filling a volume of straw (carbon) with urine (nitrogen) in order to compost it during a 6-12 month period and convert it into humus.

Two models:

DIY model. Polypropylene version. Cut from a polypropylene sheet, this model is delivered flat. Then it is folded and put together thanks to closing tongues. You can customize this model with silkscreen printing.

Deluxe model. Stainless steel version. Designed in stainless steel, this model will resist climatic challenges.

Collective use for festival configuration:

Are you an open-air festival organiser? Are you wishing to adopt environment-friendly solutions? Do you consign glasses but would like to do more?

L'Uritonnoir is a simple and efficient solution providing a sanitation facility to festival fans and converting urine into compost. Once it is transformed into humus, it will naturally enrich surrounding soil and plants. After the round bale is positioned, simply slot into your Uritonnoirs and set them together with a strap! Your mission is to raise festival-goers' awareness to dry urination, rinse water saving and urine upcycling. Setting Uritonnoirs up will relieve sitting toilets from men's number ones, therefore your facility will be kept optimally clean. You may customise your Uritonnoirs by silkscreen-printing the vertical zone with pedagogical messages (the interest of straw and urine equation) or with your event's graphic identity.

Once your festival is over, different solutions are available to manage with your round-bale soaked with urine:

» Municipal Garden Services transports it towards the closest composting facility and keeps it for horticultural use.
» The round bale stays and composts on-the-spot. Six months later the manure can be used by local farmers. The following year, it can be used as a giant planter to be enjoyed by new festival-goers !

Personal use for garden configuration

Do you use to go for a number 1 in the back of your garden? Do not waste this valuable golden fluid by sprinkling inappropriate surfaces! Convert your urine into humus instead by "uritonning" in a small straw bundle. About six to 10 months only are required before spreading this amazing composted manure around the base of your trees and plants.

Raise your friends' awareness to this simple and essential gesture that respect nature, saves water and upcycles urine!