NYC to Get Double Doodie Composting Restroom

Providing funding goes through, New York City's Riverside Park will get a shiny new restroom that will not only bring sweet relief in times of need for park-goers, but will also "give back" to the environment.

The Riverside Clay Tennis Association, which dominates the area with its popular clay tennis courts, has proposed a carbon neutral bathroom complex that would compost sewage to fertilize the surrounding green areas. The building would also run on solar power, and the toilets would use much less water than the standard variety.

“It’s very exciting,” the tennis association’s executive director Mark McIntyre told The New York Times. “If this is a model for the future and there are more public bathrooms that use this technology, it would be terrific if this was the first one.”

The project is estimated to cost $5.5 million. The association has already raised $40,000 for a testing study and hopes to $600,000 more for building design. Even though times are tough for the city and state budgeting departments, the plan is to have the new restrooms up and flushing by summer 2012.

Click here to add your toilet contribution to the Riverside Park Fund.

Photo courtesy of the Riverside Park Fund.