Women's urinal brings pee-quality to loo queues
An easy-to-assemble female urinal takes women one step closer to 'pee-quality' say founders.
The flatpack urinals are designed by university graduates Amber Probyn, 23, and Hazel McShane, 25, who are the founders of Peequal. They came up with the idea while working at festivals and say their toilet is the UK's first women's urinal.
"We had to choose between going to the loo or getting food as the queues for the women's toilets were just too long. This was common at every event we went to. From sports events to theatres to park toilets, women have to expect to wait in line," said Amber.
"So, driven by curiosity and a restlessness for a product that solves our own problem, we set out to fight the women's toilet queue," added Hazel.
According to Peequal, research shows women in the UK spend 34 times longer queueing for public loos than men do. The Peequal is designed to be six times quicker to use than a conventional toilet.
Not only that but it is environmentally sustainable. Flatpacked for easy transport and construction, and made from 100% recycled materials - it produces 98% less CO2 than portable toilets.
The Prequel is quick to put up and sustainable. Its simple designs the user enters the urinal, squats, and pees over the pedestal, then exits. As for privacy, the walls allow for complete coverage from the waist down.
The innovative wedge shape means six women can go at once - although the PEEQUAL team say its flexible design means in other configurations, it can accommodate eight or more people at the same time.
Peequal also announced it is partnering with a Bristol-based start-up PeePower, who use microbial fuel cells to turn urine into electricity which in the future the company hopes will power the lighting for their urinals!
"It isn't just a product, it has the potential to shift behaviour, so I think that is quite a different angle to most businesses, to be able to change the way we also view women's health."
The business is ready to move to the next phase. In Februaury 2022, the Peequal team secured £250,000 ($339,000) of funding from the British Design Fund, Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, former Gü chief operating officer Sarah Jones, and Angel Investors Chris Stamp and Elaine Groenestein.
Peequal's flagship product is set to feature at British festivals and events, with 250 units currently under construction and several deals being signed with large-scale festival operators in the coming weeks.
The start-up is also working on plans with European festivals for the 2023 season.