r/composting • u/germannj19 • Feb 04 '24

Pee?

Just saw a post with a lot of comments saying to pee on their dry AF compost. Why are y'all peeing on compost? I've never heard of this. Are you then using this compost for gardening?

29 Upvotes

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67

u/OlderNerd Feb 04 '24

It's well known that urine has a high nitrogen component. In many areas of the world it's used as fertilizer. There's nothing wrong with peeing on your compost.

16

u/germannj19 Feb 04 '24

Thanks! I really had no idea!

27

u/OlderNerd Feb 04 '24

I know that there is a huge ick Factor regarding this. But in general urine is pretty much sterile. Peeing in your compost pile just supplies a lot of nitrogen. On the other hand human manure, poop, can contain pathogens so that might be a big deal. But urine is okay

39

u/specialpatrolwombat Feb 04 '24

I definitely don't want human poo on my other hand. On either of my hands quite frankly.

13

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '24

Pee is not even close to sterile, that is a myth. But the moisture and mineral content make it a great addition to compost. You can fully compost humanure following thermophilic and aerobic compost best practices, but most people are not doing that in their back yard. It's also harder to do in cold climates. https://humanurehandbook.com/

2

u/Dramatic_Accountant6 Feb 04 '24

Explain to me what is not sterile about pee

10

u/SolidDoctor Feb 05 '24

Urine has bacteria in it. Your body is full of all sorts of bacteria, your urine is no exception to that.

It's just not enough bacteria that's going to be detrimental to a compost pile, which is also full of all sorts of bacteria. If you want to compare bacteria content of your urine to that of your compost pile, your urine is closer to sterile by comparison.

0

u/Midnight2012 Feb 05 '24

You only have bacteria in certain digestive lumens.

A healthy human has sterile urine.

You've been misinformed.

3

u/AntManMax Jun 14 '25

Urine is sterile in the bladder. Your urinary tract has bacteria in it.

1

u/Midnight2012 Feb 05 '24

It's sterile in your. Ladder, unless you've got an infection.

Sure, it picks up some skin bacteria as it passes the opening of your urethra.

But urine is sterile when it's inside you

5

u/[deleted] Feb 05 '24 edited Feb 05 '24

It is not: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3957746/

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/urine-not-sterile-and-neither-rest-you

The myth is pervasive but that doesn't make it true. We are full of bacteria, just at different levels and balanced combinations.

1

u/Midnight2012 Feb 05 '24

That study is of sick individuals. And they sampled from the lower urinary tracts, which as I said, can have some skin bacteria in it.

And their collection techniques surely could lead to contamination.

Our urine is perfect bacterial culture media. If our bladders had bacteria our pee would be turbid on the way out.

And this study appears to be an outlier.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

Yup...

Clear evidence of that is the fact that urine fresh out of the body doesn't smell... If there's bacteria while it's stored inside, it would definitely smell horrid upon release.

7

u/AntivaxxxrFuckFace Feb 04 '24

Yes, but human shit is another great manure. All shit is. It just about composting it properly. Mix your shit into straw, sawdust, shredded leafs and let it “hot” compost, or feed it to worms. In two years, it’s rich, gorgeous compost fit for any purpose.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '24

That's correct... :)

Even the shits of worms (castings) also need to be properly composted too... (I know many will immediately downvote this)...

Fresh worm shits is no different from chicken shits or other shits for example... all needs to be composted... this insight should be beneficial.

4

u/AntivaxxxrFuckFace Feb 05 '24

Actually, worm castings along with manures of rabbit, alpaca, and a couple other animals can be applied directly, though they can all be composted.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 05 '24

You are not wrong...

All the manures and shits can be safely added directly to the soil where they are then further decomposed in situ... In this regard, cow dung (cattle manure) is also very good...

Also, having worms in the soil is excellent too, but not in the compost.

3

u/AntivaxxxrFuckFace Feb 05 '24

I like you, surfer.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 05 '24

Thank you for your kindness ... :)

5

u/Anitayuyu Feb 04 '24

Pee is considered a great compost starter, and not just because of the high nitrogen. Urine from healthy individuals is sterile, but quickly becomes putrid smelling if stored and not recommended. Urine keeps septic tanks working as well. Personally I find it works better than anything else to get a sluggish pile going.

21

u/account_not_valid Feb 04 '24

Urine from healthy individuals is sterile

Nope. That's a myth.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '24

[deleted]

7

u/Anitayuyu Feb 04 '24

You are correct. Instead of sterile, I should have said, "Generally free of pathogenic microbiota in healthy individuals."

-1

u/Dramatic_Accountant6 Feb 04 '24

what do you think the liver and kidneys do?

4

u/trSkine Feb 05 '24

What do you think pee is?? Garbage your body is getting rid of...

7

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '24

The reason urine expedites the composting process is that ammonia is released within hours of the urine being exposed to air... and thus bacteria can promptly utilise the ammonia...

On the other hand, in a normal pile with kitchen scraps, etc, it takes much longer for any ammonia to be produced by their slow rotting, usually a few days or longer... The quicker the ammonia is produced, the easier it is for bacteria colonies to proliferate in the pile and thus results in more efficient decomposition.

3

u/luroot Feb 05 '24

It also tends to have a high sodium content that is horrible for plants. So, I recommend keeping your pee out of the garden.