Eastleigh considering installing urinals on wheelie bins (From Daily Echo)

Eastleigh considering installing urinals on wheelie bins

11:33am Saturday 20th March 2010 in

More stories about: Eastleigh Borough Council

Exclusive By Simon Carr » Eastleigh Chief Reporter

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IT is the disgusting aftermath of the morning after the night before.

The stench of urine wafting out of alleyways and trying to avoid sticky pavements.

But relief could soon be at hand thanks to a revolutionary new invention that may soon be rolled out in a Hampshire town.

Installing “wheelie bin urinals”

is the controversial idea being considered by police and council bosses who are cracking down on drinkers who relieve themselves in alleyways, streets and by shops.

New figures obtained by the Daily Echo show that in 12 months 42 people were successfully prosecuted for urinating on the streets of Eastleigh alone and in costs and fines paid out £8,201 for spending a penny.

Chief inspector Diana Boyles said: “Urinating in the streets is considered to be a problem and both Eastleigh Borough Council and the police are looking at it.”

The Daily Echo understands the worst hit area is the alleyway between High Street and Market Street.

Environmental services bosses have now been asked to investigate the cost of the bizarre solution for the town where no public toilets are open late at night.

Dee Buffone, town centre partnership chairman, said: “It is a superb idea and one that I hope is brought in, I just hope people use them.

“It is not pleasant and to see someone going in the street is extremely unpleasant, particularly if you are a young lady.

“I just cannot believe that people are leaving the pubs without using the toilets and then going in the street. The alleyways often have a bad smell in them on Mondays.

“We are working with landlords to make sure what their customers drink in the pub stays in the pub, we may even end up putting up posters to remind people to use the toilet before they leave, as silly as that sounds.”

The new breed of public toilets will allow people to urinate into a funnel that transfers the liquid into a compartment in the base where it is converted into bio-fertiliser. It has a separate area for rubbish.

It will be available as a unit the same size as a wheelie bin and the designer, Stephan Bischof, says that would cost around £80 once full manufacturing was up and running while adapting an existing bin would be about £40.

It would be free-standing like a wheelie bin and he said while he had never heard of it being kicked over it could easily be chained up to secure it.

He went on to suggest they are put in problem areas and emptied into a garden or park every two weeks where it would be used as compost.

An experiment is being carried out in other parts of the country including Lambeth in London.

The scheme will only target male drinkers and there are no plans to create a woman’s version of the toilet.

Comments(63)

My View from the Hill says...
11:40am Sat 20 Mar 10

Is someone taking the p*ss,

Is this April 1st already?