# Upcycling Public Potties The Public Compost Toilet Turns Human Waste into Plant Food By Michael Hines | Published 2012-01-24 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/public-compost-toilet References: [ecofriend](http://www.ecofriend.com/concept-toilet-converts-human-waste-plant-fertilizer.html) & [cargocollective](http://cargocollective.com/martavisintin#2442313/Cycle-2011) The greening of the porta pottie has officially begun with the design of the Public Compost Toilet. As its name suggests, this design turns [human waste into plant food](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/organic-waste-processing-facility). Marta Visintin's public toilet turns both urine and feces into plant food while using a minimal amount of water. The Public Compost Toilet is designed to store both types of human waste for further processing and use later as fertilizer. This toilet would be great for plants, but it would also be helpful to humans as well. The natural fertilizer created from human waste would release us of our dependence on [chemical fertilizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/efficient-composting-technology). In addition, the strain on our sewage system would be lowered as this toilet [uses as little water as possible](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bergvattnet) (only 80ml to wash your hands) and none of its waste winds up going down the drain. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.7/10 - Popularity: 20% | Activity: 22% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Greening of Porta Potties:** Opportunity to design eco-friendly portable toilets that turn human waste into plant food. - **Upcycling Human Waste:** Potential for innovative systems that convert urine and feces into natural fertilizers and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers. - **Water-saving Toilets:** Disruptive innovation opportunity in creating toilets that use minimal water while still maintaining cleanliness. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Eco-friendly Toilets:** Providing sustainable and environmentally-friendly toilet options for public and private spaces. - **Agricultural and Gardening:** Application of human waste compost as a natural fertilizer for agricultural and gardening purposes. - **Sanitation and Wastewater Management:** Development of efficient systems for processing and recycling human waste to reduce strain on sewage systems. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Inflatable Portable Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/airpot.md) - [Compact Portable Toilet Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portable-toilets.md) - [Water-Free Telescoping Toilet Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clesana-x1.md) - [Enclosed Japanese Park Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/toiletowa.md) - [Sustainable Sand-Filled Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sandi-toilet.md) - [Compact Portable Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clesana-x1-camping-toilet.md) - [Odor-Busting Waste Composters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waste-composter.md) - [Sustainable Timber-Made Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/woodio-block-toilet.md) - [Martian Toilet Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/martian-toilet.md)