In Sweden, several pilot projects have been launched in which urine collected in the bathrooms of large events, including football stadiums, is recovered and transformed into agricultural fertilizer.
The idea arose because the production of traditional nitrogen fertilizers requires a lot of energy and often relies on natural gas: recovering the nutrients already present in human waste reduces both waste and environmental impact. Stadiums, especially during football matches, are places where large quantities of urine can be collected in a short time. One of the most well-known cases concerns the stadium of the Swedish club AIK , where for years fans' urine was collected to produce a fertilizer used in agricultural fields. The campaign was launched with the slogan "Pee for Victory." In the years that followed, research continued and the idea evolved. From 2025-2026, more ambitious projects were launched, led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) together with the company Sanitation360, the beverage manufacturer Oatly, and the Malmö FF football club. Malmö's Eleda Stadium has been transformed into a full-fledged laboratory to test not only urine collection, but also the practical aspects of hygiene, logistics, costs, and public acceptance.
Furthermore, permanent collection systems have also been installed at the Studenternas stadium in Uppsala, as part of the European CiNURGi project, with the aim of producing fertilizer for sports fields, green areas, and agriculture.
The collection and reuse process works like this: separate urinals are installed in the stadiums that collect urine without diluting it with additional water. Once collected, the urine is transported to specialized facilities, where it is treated to reduce health risks and stabilize nutrients.
Urine is particularly suitable as a natural fertilizer because it contains almost all the nutrients plants need. Unlike feces, which contains a lot of organic matter, urine is rich in dissolved minerals that are easily absorbed by crops.
In particular it contains:
- Nitrogen (N): it is the nutrient present in the greatest quantity. It is found primarily in the form of urea, which in the soil is transformed into ammonium and then into nitrates, the forms of nitrogen absorbed by plants. Nitrogen promotes the growth of leaves and stems.
- Phosphorus (P): It is essential for root development, flowering and the production of seeds and fruits.
- Potassium (K): improves plant resistance to drought and disease and contributes to crop quality.
These three elements (N, P and K) are the fundamental components of commercial fertilizers.
The project's potential is enormous considering that urine represents less than 1% of the volume of domestic wastewater , but contains around 80% of the nitrogen and over half of the phosphorus present in the wastewater of an adult, who in turn produces an average of 1-2 litres of urine per day , containing enough nutrients to help fertilise tens of square metres of land every year.
Image source: Pee for the Planet urinals and toilets at the MFF Eleda stadium in Malmö, Sweden/Euronews
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