Humans tend to produce large quantities of waste from our bodies. Much of it is disposed of immediately, which is inefficient in a way. Feces and urine are flushed down the toilet to be treated and recycled. Hair is thrown out after it has been cut off. We already put animal waste to good use, yet the use of human waste still sounds more far-fetched. The thought of using human feces for fertilization somehow sounds more disgusting than using cow manure. The thought of wearing sweaters made of human hair sounds quite bizarre in comparison to sheep’s wool. People will buy cute notebooks at WriteStuff made of panda or horse poop, but if similar products could be made from human poop (assuming it contains enough fibre), the market would be much smaller. However, the practice of using human waste is being employed around the world, though it is not as widespread (perhaps for good reason). The following are three of the most common forms of waste, and their uses. If you’re ever feeling down, remember these and maybe you’ll feel ever so slightly better. Even your poop can be worth something.
Hair
Human hair may seem like strands of dead protein sprouting from our heads, used to look pretty and maybe keep our heads warm. However, it also happens to be the dominant source of the amino acid L-cysteine, which is used industrially as a food additive, often used in treating dough for breads and pizza. In other words much of the bread we eat actually contains a substance which was extracted from human hair, usually sourced in China. Bird feathers or hog hair are used as secondary sources. Once upon a time, it was also used to mimic soy sauce, with barber shop hair being gathered and processed into the ubiquitous condiment…but that was eventually banned.
It has also been found that human hair is exceptionally efficient at absorbing oil, but repelling water. Hair mats are now being used to help mop up oil spills. After the BP oil spill, many environmental organizations held events where donated human hair was stuffed into panty hose creating ‘hair booms’ to be used in that clean-up. 1 kg of hair can hold 2 L of oil, making it a natural material that can sustainably be used in such clean-ups.
Feces
Human excrement can be used in a number of ways. It, like animal manure, can be a component of fertilizer although the risk of cholera and other diseases is higher. However it can be composted. When mixed with plant matter such as yard waste and left to be naturally broken down by bacteria and other decomposition agents, the end result is a nutrient-rich soil that can be safely used to aid plant growth.
Another potential use for excrement is in the creation of breeding habitats for certain types of flies. You may have noticed flies swarming turds, trying to lay their eggs. This is because fly larvae flourish in feces. Afterwards some species of fly larvae can be processed into animal and fish feed, or fuel.
Finally, certain companies have begun to use human feces as building material. Blocks of compressed poop can be mixed with ceramic additives and fired into a building material that can be used in homes, flooring, and walkways. You can literally shit bricks.
Urine
At excretion, urine is completely sterile and pathogen-free, making the risk of disease through its use quite low. Urine can be very effective as a component of fertilizer. It contains nitrogen (a constituent in plant structure and in chlorophyll), phosphorus, and potassium. The depletion of the nutrients in soil is a world-wide issue, with dustbowls being created with over-farming. Soil loses fertility and moisture with food consumption, which must absolutely be replenished if economic growth and environmental sustainability are to be preserved. Human urine can help in this replenishment, as it is quite an abundant resource with each person producing 1.0 kg per day, on average.
Urine can also be purified and consumed on a small-scale. (If you’re like Bear Grylls you can maybe skip the purifying part). NASA has developed a machine for astronauts to use to recycle their urine into drinking water. There aren’t currently many compact systems for urine purification now, but if the technology can be developed, it may be a viable source of water, especially in places or situations where water conservation is crucial.
Lastly, as urine is mostly water, it can be used to generate electricity. Recently, four teenaged girls from Nigeria developed an electrolytic system that could separate the hydrogen from the water in the urine, push it into a generator, and produce 6 hours of electricity per litre.
While one might argue that these uses for urine are not the most efficient, it is undeniable that urine could be put to a better use than being flushed down a toilet to be recycled at a treatment facility.
Humans have spent the last few centuries harvesting almost everything possible from the Earth and its flora and fauna. It’s only natural that we’ve begun to harvest our own ‘emissions’ for some sort of use.
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