The Rich Earth Institute recycles human urine into fertilizer. This work supports sustainable agriculture and protects vital water resources. Learn More
Read our full Vision & Mission and the Core Values that form their foundation.
Join us at one of our upcoming events!
* Check out recordings from the Rich Earth Summit, the global conference on urine reclamation.
* Join us at one of our upcoming “Urine My Garden” webinars, which covers why & how to fertilize with urine in your own garden!
Ready to start peecycling at home? Pick up a Rich Earth Urine Collector on Etsy. Already fertilizing with urine? Take our Community Science Survey to share your experiences!
Interested in learning more about launching a peecycling program in your own community? Check out Rich Earth’s Guide to Starting a Community-Scale Urine Diversion Program and fill out our Peecycling Community Interest Survey.
National Science Foundation (NSF) video about our ongoing research on urine-derived fertilizers.
Watch an animation explaning the basic science and purpose behind urine recycling.
9 billion poundsAmount of chemical fertilizer that could be replaced with the urine Americans produce each year. |
320 poundsAmount of wheat that could be grown in a year with the fertilizer from one adult’s urine. |
125 gallonsApproximate volume of urine an adult produces each year. |
More than 15,000Water bodies in the US impaired due to nitrogen and phosphorous pollution. |
80 percentPortion of the nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in wastewater caused by human waste. |
1.2 trillion gallonsAmount of drinkable water we use each year to flush toilets. |
4000 gallonsAmount of water you could save per year by diverting urine for fertilizer. |
270 percentIncrease in phosphorus fertilizer price between 1993 and 2013. |
The Rich Earth Institute conducts original research in collaboration with academic and industry leaders, examining the safety and efficacy of using urine-derived fertilizers in agriculture.
The Rich Earth Institute has an extensive outreach agenda, educating diverse stakeholders on the science and technology behind this new approach to sanitation.
Urine recycling does not yet have an established regulatory pathway. The Rich Earth Institute collaborates with regulators at the state and national level to develop new policies, codes, and rules to govern urine based on its unique characteristics.
We are delighted to share that we are on the shortlist for the Food Planet Prize! The Curt Bergfors Food Planet Prize is world’s largest environmental award and is dedicated […]
