Urine from London Marathon runners to be turned into fertiliser

Thousands of women running in the TCS London Marathon will contribute to a greener future, as their urine is diverted from sewage and transformed into fertiliser.

This innovative approach marks the third year of PEEQUAL's presence at the marathon, with their female-specific urinals significantly reducing wait times. This year, however, marks a new step in sustainability.

In collaboration with Bristol-based start-up NPK Recovery, PEEQUAL will recycle the collected urine, further minimising the environmental impact of the world's most popular marathon.

Nine urinals, strategically placed at the marathon's yellow start, will collect the urine, which will then be processed into a safe and effective fertiliser for wheat crops.

The initiative aims to collect approximately 1,000 litres of urine, which will be used in field tests to refine the fertiliser and assess its impact on wheat growth.

This volume of urine has the potential to contribute to the growth of wheat sufficient for nearly 200 loaves of bread. Both PEEQUAL and NPK Recovery share a long-term vision of recycling all urine from large-scale events, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

If recycled, the urine from last year’s 53,700 London Marathon finishers could fertilise enough wheat to bake 3,142 loaves of bread, according to NPK Recovery.

Susan Farrell, who is running the London Marathon for the NSPCC, said: “It’s brilliant to think that the nervous wees of thousands of women are helping a good cause.

“I used PEEQUAL’s novel urinals at Glastonbury – their design means they don’t sacrifice privacy and it honestly felt like we were cheating by skipping the queues.

“I used to watch guys breeze through and think, ‘Why can’t we have that?’

“Now we do, and I really hope we get to see them at more events.”

Amber Probyn, co-founder of PEEQUAL, said: “We love coming to the TCS London Marathon because we firmly believe that women shouldn’t have to choose between starting their race on time or waiting to go to the loo.

“We’re really proud that 1,000 litres of wee won’t go to sewage, and will instead be recycled into something amazing.”

NPK Recovery uses bacteria to recover naturally occurring nutrients from the urine, creating a liquid fertiliser.

Hannah Vandenbergh, founder of the firm, said: “Urine doesn’t have to be a waste product and we’re excited to be playing a small part in helping support the sustainability commitments of the iconic TCS London Marathon.

“Ultimately, we want to help event organisers all over recycle their urine and reduce their carbon footprints.”

Kate Chapman, head of sustainability at London Marathon Events, said: “Part of our environmental strategy is to try and find an ‘onward use’ for all waste that is generated at our events, for instance composting, reusing, upcycling and much more besides.

“We are delighted that the urine from the PEEQUAL urinals can be used for something so positive rather than going to waste.”