Paris launches trial to alleviate stench of public urination

Trust the French to figure out how to deal with one of the scourges of urban living.

Outside Paris-Gare de Lyon Station, officials have installed something called the Uritrottoir.

Designed by Nantes-based Faltazi, it's a combination plant-holder, public urinal, and composting facility.

If men decide to relieve themselves there, their wastes go straight into a bin of straw beneath the soil.

The straw prevents smells from escaping into the public realm.

The Uritrottoir's design looks a lot like the walls that drunken men have been peeing on for centuries. Hence, the appeal.

Once the urine level reaches a certain point, it's hauled outside of town to be turned into compost, which is later used in city parks and gardens.

It's yet another imaginative example of the circular economy.

This isn't the first time a high-profile designer has tried to conquer the challenge posed by public urination.

Several years ago, Vancouver architect Matthew Soules created a funky public-yet-private open-air urinal in downtown Victoria.

You can see his imaginative creation below.