University Saves 160 Tons of Water a Day by Installing Urinals in the Women’s Bathrooms

womens-urinals-shaanxi-normal-university-china(Facebook/World Toilet Organization)

There’s a scene in ‘The Full Monty’ where a drunk woman at a bar reveals that she can pee standing up, even though she does not have a penis. It’s pretty impressive. And it turns out that being able to pee standing up is not only convenient and a cool party trick, it also saves a ton of water. One university in China recently decided to install urinals in the women’s bathrooms, and getting the women to pee standing up has apparently saved 160 tons of water a day since the urinals were installed.

According to Rocket News 24’s Meg Murphy, the urinals were installed at Shaanxi Normal University, where they were painted pink and adorned with giant signs asking the women to use the urinals instead of the stalls if possible, because it can save up to 160 tons of water a day. The urinals are not lined up against the walls like urinals in men’s rooms, they’re each in their own little stalls, though the stalls only have half doors that cover about two feet around the midsection. (That seems like an error. I would personally be much more likely to take a stab at using a urinal if everybody else couldn’t see my perplexed face as I tried to figure out what I was doing.)

To make the urinals easier to use for women who do not have penises, the bathrooms are equipped with stacks of little disposable cardboard funnels that look exactly like a disposable version of a “Shenis” or “pee funnel.” They sound odd, but a “female urinary device” is basically a little elongated funnel that a person positions under their urethra and then pees into. The funnel directs the flow of urine wherever you want it to go. You could even try writing your name.

No toilet paper is necessary afterwards, because the person just “squeegees” the device forward and wipes everything off. Plastic versions of the things have actually been hugely popular for camping and music festivals for years. They make life a lot easier when a person doesn’t have to worry about gross port-a-potties and running out of toilet paper. Years ago The Gloss’ Jaime Peck reviewed a reusable plastic one for camping and declared it “fucking magic.”

The university’s urinals have apparently been a success. They reportedly installed them back in 2010, and not only do they save toilet paper waste and tons of water, they also save time. Being able to walk right into a stall, quickly pee, and then leave without bothering with all the clothes-straightening, toilet-papering, and flushing means bathroom lines are basically a thing of the past.

 

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