stephan bischof: wheelie bin urinal

the wheelie bin hidden within the city streetscape

analyzing anti-social behaviours in london, designer stephan bischof has recently finished
an installation under the name designrat project which consists of a series of public objects
which respond to public behaviours. one of the objects is the 'wheelie bin urinal' experiment,
in which bischof wants to create public awareness of the common problem of public urination.

the wheelie bin urinal is a prototype experiment which explores how we could facilitate the
legal act of urinating in public in designated areas. the wheelie bin's existing unhygienic properties
and public / domestic location presents itself as a tool in which to interact and investigate
street behaviours. early prototypes of the bin were installed on busy roads in the lewisham borough
of london, in which people's frequent interactions with the bins were documented.
from these observations, the bin's design was modified. urine is channelled into a base,
where a tray with dried garden grass or wood ash from a household furnace, absorb the liquid
to create a bio-fertilizer - nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium(this was tested and proven by
a research study in 2007) by the university of kuopio in finland. it wheelie bin urinal
brings together something which is usually frowned upon, and turns it into a kind of
environmental urban intervention. the bins blend into the urban landscape, taking on the same
form as large commercial waste bins.




the wheelie bin


'public urination permitted'


drainage system




step stool which pulls out upon use

the cycle of the wheelie bin urinal from DASIGN on Vimeo.