Western Mass
Rich Earth is now working to bring urine recycling across the border to Western Massachusetts (Franklin County, MA) in collaboration with community partners, and supported by the Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
We’re excited to explore expanding our nutrient cycling work across the border into Massachusetts because it:
- Synergizes with advancements in regulatory pathways for urine recycling being made on Cape Cod; our planning work in these two watersheds impacted by nutrient pollution will be mutually beneficial.
- Connects with a community eager to implement urine recycling to bolster a thriving local food scene with a rare source of local nutrients
- Supports efforts to create more affordable housing in Franklin County. Our project will include a focus on toilet installation site visits, including for developments that are currently stymied by lack of wastewater capacity; in MA compost toilets can enable a 50% reduction in leach field size (compared to only 25% allowed in VT) unlocking new housing options.
We’re working to knit together all the pieces of the nutrient cycling puzzle, including site visits for urine-diverting toilet installations, planning urine depots for portable collection drop-off, farmer partnerships, permitting, and education events.
In the news:
- “Peecycling” program plans Franklin County launch
- New England Public Media: Environmental impacts in the 413
Get Involved
Upcoming Events
Connect with Rich Earth at one of our upcoming Western Mass events! Inquire about hosting a collaborative event:
Join our mailing list
Hear updates about expanding peecycling in Franklin County!
Toilet Site Visit Interest Form
Are you interested in a urine-diverting and/or compost toilet for your home or business? Please fill out this form to learn more about an informational Rich Earth site visit or connect directly with local toilet designers and installers.
Learn more about toilet options, local designers and installers –>
Farm Site Visit Interest Form
Interested in learning more about using urine as a fertilizer on your farm? Complete this form to inform Rich Earth Institute’s efforts to grow urine recycling networks in Franklin County, and explore access options as urine fertilizer becomes available in this region.
Fertilize with Urine
Learn how to peecycle in your own home garden with our “Urine My Garden” guide, workshops/webinars, and community science survey. Our workshop covers:
- Step-by-step instructions for fertilizing with urine in home gardens
- An overview of community-scale urine recycling
- Insights from Rich Earth’s agricultural and social research
- The safety of urine fertilizer, including pharmaceutical and PFAS considerations
- Spotlights on the peecycling movement from around the world
