Amsterdam has installed urinals in the streets to prevent …

Amsterdam has launched an unprecedented initiative: the installation of urinals on public roads. The idea is to avoid urination on the streets of the Dutch capital. Urinals are camouflaged like flowerpots.

The German company GreenPee (whose name “green urine” in English sounds phonetically like GreenPeace) is responsible for public urinals at a time when bars and restaurants are starting to resume their activity after months of confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic .

Men can urinate into the sneaky flowerpots and the urine ends up on a hemp base which is then used as a fertilizer. Hemp is obtained from the cannabis plant. In fact, during the day they look like ornaments like flower pots and at night they can be used to urinate.

There are single and double units. The first costs 4,000 euros and the second 5,000 and requires ongoing maintenance, which includes cleaning and collecting the accumulated urine. The initiative is reminiscent of the transparent bathroom model that began to be used in Tokyo.

According to the company and the Amsterdam city council, there was a 50% decrease in urine on public roads in areas where urinals were installed. At present, urinals are for men and the possibility of creating similar installations for women is being explored.