How much urine in the compost is enough?

[HonoluluGirl]

Our compost pile is 90% brown stuff and 10% green stuff. It's about 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. So. . . my husband has been saving his pee in a gallon milk jug. So far, he said he dumped 2 gallons of pee into our compost pile. My question is how much pee is enough pee?!?!? He wants to keep saving more pee and feeding our compost pile. But when should he stop?

[nickolas]

My dad and I use all of the urine that we both produce when we are at home, in that time at home we collectively produce on average 25 liter's every week for the compost pile's.

I hope this was helpful to you.

BTW we use a designated bucket for our urine, we call it the pee bucket

[rainbowgardener]

I don't think he needs to stop as long as your pile continues 90% brown. The pee is serving as a green to balance that. If you changed what you put in the pile so that it was 50-50 greens and browns (not counting the pee), then he might want to slow down a bit, not stop just space it out more, so as not to overwhelm it with green...

@ nickolas eeuw, I bet that bucket is nasty...

[barnhardt9999]

My wife would never allow the jug or bucket, besides it risks an unfortunate spill. Why not urinate directly into the pile? Its time your neighbors know how compost is made...

[rainbowgardener]

Half the population can't easily do that. I do sometimes pee in a bottle, but only if I can EMPTY (and then rinse) the bottle immediately...

[cynthia_h]

...Why not urinate directly into the pile? Its time your neighbors know how compost is made...

Um...maybe because said neighbors would call the police regarding "indecent exposure"? The legally safer method is the (what should I call it?) "transfer from the house to the compost pile in a container" method. No one can call the police regarding "indecent exposure" or other infractions then.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[rot]

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I stop peeing in the compost bin a couple of days before I turn it.

to sense
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[applestar]

^
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I had a vision of myself getting an elaborate antique chamber pot and decorously using it as the transportation container in case neighbors are watching.....

[rot]

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I had a similar vision too. Going out back with chamber pot and the dogs trying to squeeze out the door at the same time - hilarity ensues.

to sense
..

[toxcrusadr]

I think the main question is not 'how much is enough' but 'how much is too much' or 'when to stop.' And the answer to that is, if it starts smelling like ammonia or other unpleasantness, that's a sign that the limit has been reached as far as the amount of nitrogen the pile can absorb.

So 'stick a fork in it' now and then to check the conditions. You should do that anyway if you're adding a jug at a time, just to make sure it's evenly distributed and doesn't run through and out the bottom, leaving untouched dry parts.

Re: 'exposure', there is none after dark. Just sayin'.

[Nancydobs]

Maybe a dumb question, but is it necessary to dilute urine before dumping it on the compost pile?

[rainbowgardener]

Nope, just spread it around a little. All the guys peeing on their compost piles aren't diluting it.

[Nancydobs]

I guess not, unless you count all the beer they're drinking to generate it . . .

[toxcrusadr]

Speaking of beer, somewhere on the net awhile back there was a guy who said he bought beer to put in his compost and it worked great. We all told him that was a terrible waste of beer, and he should *process* it first before adding...

[SD1]

Pee into large sweet jar. Keep lid on when not in use. Available in the UK (sweet jars) not sure about US. Pour pee into watering can so you can spread it evenly in the compost bin. Shouldn't need to wash out watering can but may need to wash out sweet jar occasionally as solids will start to accumulate (hard water?). Stop using once or if the compost is getting to wet. When not needed pour into toilet after pooing. Saves a lot of water and if you live in a hard water area will result in less lime scale.

[imafan26]

I don't even use synthetic urea. I think I will stick to sulfate of ammonia for my nitrogen needs.

[toxcrusadr]

What does a 'sweet jar' look like and why is it called that? We don't have anything by that name on this side of the pond, but maybe we call it something else?

In summer, I often step outside after dark and visit various parts of the yard. Sometimes the compost or the leaf bin, but often around trees and shrubs, flower beds etc. I never feel like it's too much but it's not in the same place day after day. :-]

[Gary350]

I mix 1 pint jar of wood ash into a 5 gallon bucket of organic material then pee in the bucket several times every day for a week. In about a week it smells like Ammonia. Ammonia is a strong nitrogen. Keep a lid on the bucket and keep it in the hot sun to speed up the compose action for 30 days. In 30 days 5 gallons will turn into 1 gallon of the best fertilizer compose you ever had. It contains, lime, potash, minerals, and lots of nitrogen. Make a new compose bucket every week you will have a steady supply of fertilizer compose 1 gallon every week. Think about it 1 gallon is not very much a lot of work for so little.

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[ButterflyLady29]

Why not use something like a sawdust toilet? You can buy toilet seats for buckets. Put some wood stove pellets in the bucket and pee in that. Add more pellets when it gets soggy. When it gets half to 2/3 full dump it on the compost pile. If you have access to sawdust or cardboard shavings those work too.

I use one in the basement. It saves on water usage and trips up and down the stairs when I'm working on a big project there.

[toxcrusadr]

If you smell ammonia, that's the smell of nitrogen escaping your compost. Probably happening because the ash you are adding is causing a very high pH, which pushes the ammonia/ammonium equilibrium toward ammonia, which then offgases. It can also happen when there is not enough air getting to the place where it's decomposing.

Better to use only sawdust or perhaps cut down on the ash, and make sure it gets turned and mixed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the sawdust toilet as a way to keep nutrients out of the sewage plant. Just trying to increase the efficiency and success here.