Uproar provoked over public eco-friendly urinals in Paris

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Europe

New eco-friendly but completely exposed urinals deployed on the streets of Paris are provoking uproar from locals.

One of the bright red “Uritrottoirs” installed on the Ile Saint-Louis, not far from Notre Dame cathedral and overlooking tourist boats passing on the Seine, has caused particular indignation.

"It's a little weird... but if you need to go it's better than to going on the street," said Jonathan, a tourist from New York who examined the rectangular facility with plants growing on top, which offers little or no privacy to those looking for roadside relief.

"It's a little bit in the open, some people might be uncomfortable," he said as several boats packed with tourists floated past along the Seine.

A man stands at a "uritrottoir" public urinal on the Saint-Louis island in Paris as a tourist barge cruises past on August 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

The designer of the “Uritrottoir” – a combination of the French words for urinal and pavement – said it offered an “eco solution to public peeing.” The device is essentially a box with an opening in the front and a floral display on top, containing straw which transforms into compost for use in parks and gardens.

But Ile Saint-Louis locals said the receptacle, with no stall around it of any kind, could blight their ultra-chic neighborhood.

“It’s horrible,” said the 50-year-old owner of a nearby art gallery, who declined to give his name.

“We’re told we have to accept this but this is absolutely unacceptable. It’s destroying the legacy of the island. Can’t people behave?”

Local mayor Ariel Weil insisted the devices were necessary, however. Paris authorities have rolled out four of the stand-up loos in spots where public peeing has been a problem, and a fifth is planned.

A man uses a "uritrottoir" public urinal near the Gare de Lyon in Paris, August 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

But the biggest criticism so far is that the uritrottoirs only cater to men.

“They have been installed on a sexist proposition: men cannot control themselves and so all of society has to adapt,” said Gwendoline Coipeault of French feminist group Femmes Solidaires.

City Hall said it had installed the facilities "at the request of residents" while noting the project was still in a trial phase.

(Top image: A couple walks near a bright red, eco-friendly urinal on the Ile Saint-Louis along the Seine River in Paris, August 13, 2018.)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters