The power of ‘pee-cycling’: Longtime compost enthusiasts turn to human urine

Compost for Good’s experimental facility opens to the public in Jay. The initial test involved collecting 2,000 gallons of urine, which was made into compost

By Chloe Bennett

The Adirondack Park is home to a web of compost programs that divert piles of food waste from landfills. Now, Compost for Good, run by AdkAction and the Adirondack North Country Association, is entering what is likely uncharted territory in the world of compost: the use of human urine. 

The nutrient-dense material, combined with a carbon source like woodchips, is repurposed in the ground and could replace some mass-produced chemical fertilizers. The compost also has the potential to boost soil health, aiding in carbon storage. 

“Diverted human urine is what most people consider a waste but I consider a valuable resource,” said composter John Culpepper. 

The “pee-cycling” is known as the Human Urine Research and Demonstration (HURD) in Jay. It opened its doors to the public last week after several years of experimentation by Culpepper and his daughter Katie. The duo, who helped found Compost for Good, collected almost 2,000 gallons of urine from dozens of people to test the benefits of using it in soil. Many of the donors are house visitors or family members, John Culpepper said. 

The inspiration for HURD came about six years ago when John Culpepper attended an annual urine summit by Rich Earth Institute in Vermont. Researchers from across the globe gather each year to discuss extracting nutrients for fertilizer.

“I thought, gosh, there’s got to be a simpler, easier way to capture and stabilize plant nutrients from urine,” said Culpepper, who retired in 2021 as the director of facilities and sustainability for North Country School and Camp Treetops. 

Jamina Shupack, executive director of Rich Earth Institute, said the launch of HURD was an inspiring step in collecting nutrients from urine. “Advancements like this in alternative wastewater management solutions are becoming more and more essential with nutrient pollution, population growth, and climate change,” she said in an email. “The Culpeppers have been invaluable movers and shakers in this space for years and we’re excited to follow this project.”

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Using a series of grants, the Culpeppers developed a method to counteract pathogens and pharmaceuticals found in urine by allowing the compost to heat up to 160 degrees. A small squash garden plot next to the HURD facility shows the result of using the material to grow food. 

“So now we’ve demonstrated that we can make really beautiful compost, can we now demonstrate the value of that beautiful compost, what that can do for farmers and landowners?” Katie Culpepper, 39, asked. “We’re not there yet.”

Watch: From our “Climate Voices of the Adirondacks” series, Jennifer Perry shares her passion for composting. The Redford resident was a co-founder of Compost for Good, along with the Culpeppers.

Inside the HURD facility, which is an open-air wooden structure on John Culpepper’s property, the contents of jugs of donated urine and bags of wood products mix before getting added to a large compost tumbler. With the right measurements, the process takes minutes. 

Compost for Good has no plans to monetize the program, said the Culpeppers. HURD is registered with the state Department of Environmental Conservation but does not produce enough material to get a permit to sell the compost. Instead, the nonprofit hopes its story will reach a broad audience and be implemented elsewhere. 

“I’m too old to be an entrepreneur,” John Culpepper, 67, said. “In an ideal world, somebody comes by, looks at our facility, and says, ‘Oh my God, I’ll do this.’”

Still, the Culpeppers hope to scale up the practice with another grant. “The potential to do good work to deal with environmental issues through the capture and composting of diverted human urine is in my mind, huge,” John Culpepper said. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated with a new compost temperature.