Sir, – Your article titled "Danish farmers take the piss by turning urine into beer" (Derek Scally, April 12th) raises the question as to whether we in Ireland should permit and encourage urine separation toilets as part our Irish building regulations under Part H (Drainage and Waste Water Disposal). At present separating human urine for recycling is not permitted in Ireland.
In the context of the problems with Irish Water and with our overloaded waste water treatment systems: should Irish house owners have the right in our planning regulations to “avoid” making waste water pollution?
As a step to achieving a zero waste society I also believe that the Irish should certainly consider emulating the practice in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries where they recycle the nitrogen and phosphorus from urine to grow crops.
The very low concentration of toxic metals in separated human urine makes it much safer as a method to recycle nitrogen and phosphorus to crops at the front of the pipe than applying municipal sewage sludge to land from the end of the pipe.
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We already have a problem in Ireland that we are wasting so much of the phosphorus and nitrogen and it is ending up in our lakes.
As a measure to reduce the pollution from our overloaded waste water treatment plants, shouldn’t we in Ireland also be permitted to grow crops from human urine just like the Danes? – Yours, etc,
OLLAN HERR,
Herr Ltd,
Dundalk, Co Louth.