Investigating consumer attitudes towards the new technology of urine separation

Abstract

The technology of urine separation and the recycling of anthropogenic nutrients as fertilizer in agriculture are considered as major innovations to improve the sustainability of today's urban wastewater management. The acceptance of consumers will be key for the introduction of the new technology. Citizens will have to make important decisions in their role as tenants and owners of houses and as consumers buying products fertilized with urine. Consumer attitudes towards the new technology were explored in a number of citizen focus groups in Switzerland. Focus groups are deliberate, moderated group discussions with informed citizens on a certain topic. The information was provided by a computer based information system specifically designed for this purpose. The acceptance of individual citizens for the new technology proved to be quite high. The majority of the citizens expressed their willingness to move into an apartment with NoMix toilets and to buy food fertilized with urine. However, they were not willing to accept additional financial costs or efforts. Arguments related to long-term sustainability (closing nutrient cycles) were of less importance than arguments that relate directly to the effects of micropollutants on human and ecosystem health. For the introduction of the new technology on a wide scale it will thus be crucial to explore the fate and effects of micropollutants.

Real-life efficiency of urine source separation

“…The NoMix toilets at Eawag are situated in the public area bathrooms in order to ensure access also to visitors who took part in different acceptance studies (Pahl-Wostl et al, 2003;Lienert and Larsen, 2006). The total number of toilet uses per day is presented in Fig.…”

Considering User Attitude in Early Development of Environmentally Friendly Technology: A Case Study of NoMix Toilets

“…Blockages can be removed by cleaning personnel in organizations. However, the focus group survey indicates that people are reluctant to accept increased maintenance in private homes (22), which needs to be backed with further quantitative surveys. Therefore, we recommend introducing NoMix toilets in homes only after carefully considering possible technical drawbacks or strong awareness-raising among household members.…”

Saneamento Básico Em Comunidade Peri-Urbana No Ceará: Perspectiva Para O Ecossaneamento E Sanitários Separadores

“…Em uma pesquisa na Suíça, com público de classe social mais elevada e aspectos culturais distintos, Pahl-Wostl et al (2003) constataram, após entrevista de um grupo de 44 voluntários, que 79% afirmaram que o sanitário separador de excretas é uma boa ideia, 89% responderam que poderiam viver em residências que possuem tais sanitários, contanto que os custos, a manutenção e os esforços para limpeza e higienização não fossem significativamente maiores que os sanitários convencionais.…”