Circular Nutrient Systems · Game Day Special Event
Michigan football has never run a stat line like this one. Donate at the tailgate and your urine gets diverted, treated, and sent back to the ground as real fertilizer — no flush required.
Date
[GAME DATE]
Kickoff / Window
[KICKOFF TIME]
Collection Station
[LOT / GATE]
Hosted By
[LAB NAME]
[LAB NAME] is part of Circular Nutrient Systems, a University of Michigan effort to close the loop between what we flush and what we grow. Most agricultural fertilizer today is mined or manufactured at real environmental cost — but human urine already carries a rich, ready supply of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium crops need.
The Piss Off is our first stadium-scale pilot: a single home game's worth of tailgate donations, diverted before it ever reaches the sewer, treated on site, and turned into a usable fertilizer product for [APPLICATION SITE]. Every cup poured is a data point for the research.
PI
Department
Research Focus
Contact
[PI NAME]
[DEPARTMENT]
[RECOVERY FOCUS]
[LAB EMAIL]
Undiluted, source-separated urine is easier to treat than the mixed wastewater it usually ends up in — which is what makes a stadium-scale collection worth doing.
01
Waterless, urine-diverting fixtures at [LOT / GATE] keep donations separate from the rest of the stadium's plumbing.
02
On-site treatment holds onto nitrogen and stops the odor-causing breakdown into ammonia. Method: [TREATMENT METHOD]
03
Nutrients are concentrated into a fertilizer product — [STRUVITE / LIQUID CONCENTRATE] — through precipitation and separation.
04
The finished fertilizer heads to [APPLICATION SITE] to grow the next round of crops, closing the loop.
01
Waterless, urine-diverting fixtures at [LOT / GATE] keep donations separate from the rest of the stadium's plumbing.
02
On-site treatment holds onto nitrogen and stops the odor-causing breakdown into ammonia. Method: [TREATMENT METHOD]
03
Nutrients are concentrated into a fertilizer product — [STRUVITE / LIQUID CONCENTRATE] — through precipitation and separation.
04
The finished fertilizer heads to [APPLICATION SITE] to grow the next round of crops, closing the loop.
Why urine specifically? It carries most of the nitrogen and phosphorus that would otherwise travel through energy-intensive wastewater treatment — or straight into local waterways as nutrient pollution. Diverting it at the source recovers those nutrients before they become someone else's problem.
Two minutes, no mess, no line if you time it right. Look for the maize flags.
Date
Collection Window
Meet Us At
Address
What To Bring
[GAME DATE]
[START TIME]–[END TIME]
[LOT / GATE NAME]
[STREET ADDRESS, ANN ARBOR, MI]
Just yourself — cups and privacy screens provided
Every donor walks away with proof they helped grow something.
STEP 1
Fill a cup at the collection station. Takes about two minutes, start to finish.
STEP 2
A volunteer hands you a token at the station — your ticket to the merch tent.
STEP 3
Trade your token for a shirt at [MERCH TENT LOCATION]. Sizes S–XXL, while supplies last.
Cost: [FREE / $ PRICE] · One shirt per donation · Design shown is a preview; final print may vary.
Is this sanitary?
Yes. Fresh urine is sterile, and every station follows [SAFETY / HANDLING PROTOCOL] from setup through treatment.
Do I need to bring anything?
No — cups, funnels, and privacy screens are all provided at the station. Just walk up.
I'm not going to the game — can I still take part?
[ALTERNATE DROP-OFF INFO]
Where can I follow the research?
Reach the team at [CONTACT EMAIL / WEBSITE] or find us at the station on game day.
THE PISS OFF
A Circular Nutrient Systems event · University of Michigan
[LAB NAME] · [CONTACT EMAIL]
#ThePissOff