Solving the toilet shortage problem at parties

At every party there is generally a high demand for toilet facilities. The number of those at the party is large compared to the number of flatmates who live in the flat. The majority of people will be drinking alcohol, which is a diuretic that dehydrates the body and causes a higher rate of urination. This means that there will be a queue, with a wait that is not acceptable and results in the need to urinate outside. At student parties, it is most likely that all of the guests are fine with others doing this nearby. The problem comes when there may not be a discreet garden area or where there is visibility to other flats and the street. Neighbours or the public not at the party could be offended, and it could lead to an unintentional indecent exposure. For these situations, it would be ideal to have other options, such as a way to collect urine where it would normally be inappropriate to urinate.

There are a number of factors that either cause the shortage or make it more difficult for parties and may make particular options more appropriate. This would include any of the following factors:

• The flat has only one toilet (or a high demand if more than one is available)
• There is a small garden area with limited discreet areas
• The flat is close to other neighbours
• The outside area is clearly visible from the street

The options that could be available at parties are as follows:

1. Wait in a queue for the main toilet(s) at the flat.
2. Find an appropriate place in the garden outside (urine only).
3. Create your own urinal collection device using items such as a bucket, funnel, or storage container.



4. Setup a compost heap that can be urinated onto directly.

Option 1 is considered as the most acceptable; however, it is unlikely to be suitable unless the queue clears in a few minutes or less. Any longer than this would be uncomfortable to wait.

A major reason for limiting the demand for option 1 is due to some people needing to use the toilet for the other end. If there is only one toilet then it is almost guaranteed to be used continuously throughout the whole party. There will generally be no other alternative at the party and those that are waiting, face both the discomfort of holding the bowel movement. Then once they get to the toilet, there is the pressure to take a short time, even though a few minutes is likely to be required. It would be great if the people waiting in the queue could instead go somewhere else, as urinating in a toilet is not absolutely essential. Finding a suitable alternative for those at the party is a key consideration to reduce the awkward situations that may occur at parties, which are generally unavoidable.

Option 2 is an alternative if a toilet is not available. This is generally suitable where there are outdoor garden areas that are not visible from neighbouring flats or the street; however, it is not ideal urinating directly onto a garden as urine has a high concentration of chemicals such as nitrogen, which can be toxic to plants without being diluted. A person that has been drinking will have a higher concentration of chemicals, which is even more reason to avoid urinating directly onto the bushes in your garden. The odour from the urine will be obvious after being deposited on the garden.

Option 3 is not normally used; although, it could provide a suitable alternative if there is not a suitable garden area outside. This could allow another indoor room, such as a laundry to be used, or an outdoor area with some privacy.

One factor that would make option 3 seem unattractive is the potential for an odour to be present with the urine. In a normal situation, the urine would be odour free from people who are well hydrated. The trouble is that people drinking at parties are likely to be dehydrated, which is one reason for urine having odour. In this situation, the urine could be diluted by adding water to the container used, including the addition of vinegar if required.

Option 4 would allow the urine to be directly used usefully for the production of compost. It avoids the need to urinate directly onto bushes with a concentrated load of urine chemicals and is a useful way to make use of the nutrients that would otherwise be wasted.

Options 3 and 4 are identified as the most suitable alternatives as opposed to option 2 that involves urinating directly on the garden.

For option 3, a urine collection device would solve the problem as follows:

• Provides another place to pass urine and reduces the demand on the available toilet(s).
• Avoids the need to urinate directly onto the garden and potentially kill plants with the concentrated level of chemicals present in your urine.
• If there is no garden outside, and neighbours are close, then a discreet location can be selected that would not normally be acceptable to urinate on (such as another room inside, or somewhere discrete outside).

For option 4, a compost heap would provide the key benefits as follows:

• People are able to urinate directly onto a heap designed to make the most of the nutrients present in urine.
• This can be justified as environmentally friendly, for those outside the party who have concerns about outdoor urination.
• The compost can eventually be used later for the garden, once it decomposes.

The toilet shortage means that the main toilet in the flat is generally not sufficient to provide for all of the people at a party. This generally means that a fall back option is to find somewhere discreet in the garden outside. Instead of accepting that a highly concentrated liquid will be sprayed on the garden at your flat, it would be great to look for other options that avoid killing off plants, or make better use of the nutrients contained within. At your next party, it is time to be creative to come up with a solution that better meets the needs of your guests.

There are a few useful sources that provide further information to the discussion:

• See Life Hack for their explanation of ‘why you should pee on your garden’:

  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/8-reasons-why-you-should-pee-your-garden.html

• Northwest Edible Life also provides a good explanation about using urine in your garden:

  http://www.nwedible.com/how-to-use-pee-in-your-garden/

In our search of content in this area, we also found a couple of novel ideas as follows:

• Popupcity uses a hay bale as a urinal at events:

  http://popupcity.net/flexible-outdoor-urinal-doubles-as-a-composter/

• Hack My Life (truTV) shows how to make a keg urinal:

  Hack My Life – Keg Urinal