New installation at Studenternas in Uppsala

For the first time, urine collection and drying has been permanently installed at a large scale! In connection with the renovation of the Studenternas football stadium in Uppsala, the sewage system has been converted to a system developed by SLU and Sanitation360. This new system collects urine from supporters and transforms it into an environmentally friendly fertiliser that is then used in agriculture.

The first installation includes seven accessible toilets and approximately 200 metres of urinals at Studenternas. On Saturday, 6 September, the new system was inaugurated at an event on Studenternas with 17,000 attendees!

By recycling nutrients as fertiliser from urine collected at Studenternas, we are reducing the emissions from wastewater as well as those caused by conventional fertiliser production. At the same time, we are producing a local fertiliser that can be used in agriculture in the same way as chemical fertiliser.

Earlier this spring, we began measuring toilet use per football game. The results showed that, on average, 0.9 visits to the toilet occur per person during a game, of which approximately 0.3 are to the urinals or accessible toilets. If we assume 500 ml of urine per visit to the urinals/accessible toilets and with the average of 7000 attendees (average for 2024) at 20 events, it corresponds to about 1050 kilos of fertiliser each year. That means that during one football season we will collect enough urine to fertilise three football fields (1.5 hectares).

After the urine has been collected, it is concentrated in a drying facility at Studenternas before being pelletised on Gotland and used by farmers to fertilise their fields.

If you want to contribute to this sustainable initiative, make sure to get tickets for Sirius home games at Studenternas and see the installation in action! The next game is against GAIS on September 14, followed by Degerfors on September 21.

A big thank you to Uppsala kommun and Uppsala Arenor och Fastigheter for believing in us, investing their energy and resources, and having the courage to implement urine diversion to help create a more sustainable future. And thank you to everyone that visit and use the facility during the events at Studenternas.