human urine - can you compost it?

[rainbowgardener]

I don't know about doing harm, but many drugs and medications are excreted in urine, hence urinary drug testing.

All the common drugs of abuse can be tested for in urine including alcohol, marijuana, opiates, LSD, anabolic steroids, narcotics, amphetamines, etc.

Water soluble vitamins are passed in the urine as well as many other substances.

The question would be whether any of these substances would be harmful if added to your compost pile. We will stipulate that the vitamins aren't harmful and that most of us gardeners would not have high levels of drugs of abuse in our urine ( ). Therefore the question devolves to the unknown other substances. Composting and other forms of biofiltration are very effective at cleaning pollutants, breaking down sewage sludge, even can break down complex pesticide molecules So, I'm guessing that in general, unless you have something really strange in your urine, even if you are on medication, it will not be harmful in your compost pile.

(Incidentally, not all medications are passed unchanged into urine - e.g. when bipolar patients are treated with Lithium, their Lithium levels have to be monitored with blood testing, since it can't be detected in urine.)

[toxcrusadr]

Interesting factoid about lithium, Rainbow. I wonder where it goes? It is an ion (similar to sodium and potassium), so one would think it would be excreted the same way. There are only two other choices, sweat and feces.

Anyhoo, it is hard to imagine that mg levels of prescription drugs would have an effect on the average compost pile, esp. if one is composting all their kitchen and yard waste along with it. I would venture to guess they are largely biodegraded as well, although it would vary by the individual compound. I would be less worried about this angle than I would about toxins such as lead, pesticides, etc., simply because these are obviously not highly toxic to humans by definition. But I am just generalizing.

[rainbowgardener]

Thanks, tox... you made me question my assumption. I have to admit, I assumed that the reason the they only do blood tests is that it isn't present in urine. But since you made me look it up, that is not true -- sorry, usually I check first. Now I don't know why they can just to a urinary blood screen, would seem a lot easier.

But yes, that is really the point that some mgs of prescription meds in the compost with buckets of other stuff is really not worth worrying about and most of it would be broken down. And yes, it seems like anything in your urine wouldn't be toxic or you wouldn't have put it in your mouth in the first place...