Bangkok Entrepreneurs Make a Splash by ‘Taking the Piss’ – Literally
BANGKOK – In a business venture that has hotel guests doing double-takes, three British expats in Thailand have launched an initiative that quite literally takes the piss. Their start-up, cheekily named TTP (Taking the Piss), collects urine from hotel toilets and recycles it into fertilizer for vegetable farms across the country. What began as a pub joke about “making use of all that wasted beer” has become a real operation turning bathroom breaks into high-yield compost.
“We’re basically alchemists, turning golden liquid into green gold,” quipped James Whitaker, one of TTP’s co-founders. “People thought we were taking the mickey at first, but we’re absolutely serious – your pee can help grow a pineapple.” According to Whitaker, the process involves installing special filtration tanks in hotel bathrooms. Every flush in participating hotels separates urine, which is then purified on-site. The result, he says, is a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer. “It’s eco-friendly and surprisingly not as smelly as you’d think,” Whitaker added with a grin.
Local hotel managers were initially sceptical, but some have warmed up to the unconventional idea. Somchai Rattanakun, manager of the Pullman Hotel in central Bangkok, admits he was hesitant when TTP approached him. “At first, I thought it was a prank and kept waiting for a hidden camera crew to jump out,” Somchai laughed. After seeing the cost savings on sewage treatment and the hotel’s herb garden flourishing, his attitude changed. “Now we brag about our organic rooftop garden fertilized by our very own guests,” he said. “Guests love the herbs in their mojitos – if only they knew they contributed to the flavour!”
Reports indicate that an average Bangkok hotel can generate hundreds of litres of usable “liquid fertilizer” per week thanks to thirsty tourists. TTP collects the processed urine from hotel basements and transports it in large, clearly marked tanks to farms on the city’s outskirts. Local farmers have been cautiously optimistic. One farmer tending rows of spinach nourished by the recycled brew joked that his produce was “90% water and 10% tourist.” He noted, however, that the vegetables are thriving. Early tests show crops grown with the urine-based fertilizer are just as bountiful as those raised with traditional chemicals.
The venture isn’t without its absurdities – or challenges. Tourists lounging in one hotel lobby were bewildered by a newly installed sign reading, “Your Toilet Visit is Helping Thai Farms. Thank You!” One curious guest from Germany remarked, “I thought it was a metaphor… until I saw a guy in overalls wheeling away a tank labelled ‘Fertilizer: Handle with Care.’” The founders have embraced the humour, even printing T-shirts that read “Ask me how your pee saved a tree.”
In an odd twist, TTP’s team is also experimenting with what they delicately call “solid contributions.” They’re testing whether composted human waste can be used to grow Thailand’s famously stinky durian fruit. Gareth Hughes, another co-founder, joked about the trial: “Durian already smells like a public toilet on a hot day, so we figure nobody will notice if we use, uh, that kind of fertilizer.” The team has set aside a remote corner of a farm for what they dub the “Poo Durian Project,” acknowledging that this part of their plan needs more… refinement. “We’re taking it one step at a time – number one was easy, number two is proving a bit trickier,” Hughes punned.
For now, hotel partners and diners alike are adjusting to the idea that the phrase “farm-to-table” might soon work in reverse as “table-to-farm.” The TTP founders insist that their closed-loop system is as hygienic as it is humorous. They often reassure sceptics with a simple promise: “Try the salad. We guarantee it doesn’t taste like yesterday’s happy hour.”
As bizarre as it sounds, Taking the Piss might be the most refreshingly resourceful idea to hit Bangkok in years. In a city grappling with waste and sustainability issues, these entrepreneurs have found profit in the most unlikely of streams. And if nothing else, they’ve proven that when life gives you lemons – or lemonade – you can grow excellent lettuce.
