Researchers from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University are collecting urine from tailgaters outside Michigan Stadium on Saturday, as the two schools renew their football rivalry. The initiative, dubbed "The Piss Off," aims to convert the urine into nutrient-rich fertilizer for horticultural crops through a process called "peecycling."
Two yurts will be set up at the Ann Arbor Golf Club, near Michigan Stadium, where fans can donate their urine. Volunteers will guide attendees to yurts designated for each school's fans. This event marks the first stadium-scale pilot for this project in the United States.
"There are two reasons for the event," said MSU Associate Professor of Sociology Stephen Gasteyer in a press release. "One is to actually collect the urine which can be used to produce the fertilizer, but the other is to educate people that what comes out of our bodies naturally provides nutrients that can help things grow."
He added that current methods of treating urine consume significant energy and resources, leading to the disposal of valuable nutrients. The "peecycling" process, however, could offer a more beneficial approach.
The collected urine will be used to fertilize horticultural crops at both universities, including plants at Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, and Michigan State's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.
The Michigan-Michigan State football game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Michigan recently defeated Rutgers 28-21, while Michigan State's last win was against Eastern Michigan on September 12.