San Francisco tries paint that repels urine

San Francisco’s public works agency says it is testing a new urine-repellent paint in areas popular with people looking to relieve themselves.

The BBC reports a spokeswoman for the agency saying that anyone choosing to use the treated walls as a toilet will see their urine "bounce back”.

The idea came after the agency’s director read about the paint's use in a nightclub district in Germany.

The city’s community turned to the paint to cope with a problem brought by the 20 million tourists that visit the district every year.

According to the BBC, in March, the community said that the paint seemed to be working and the problem was finally getting "the attention it deserves".

In a trial project, San Francisco authorities have painted nine walls in areas close to bars and in neighbourhoods with large homeless populations.

Signs posted on the walls, written in English, Chinese and Spanish, say: "Hold it! ... seek relief in an appropriate place".

The paint, called Ultra-Ever Dry, creates a barrier of air in front of the surface that will "completely repel almost any liquid”, it adds.

"The idea is they will think twice next time about urinating in public," said Rachel Gordon, a spokeswoman for the city's Public Works Department.

She said the cost of painting the walls is much lower than sending out workers to clean areas saturated with urine, but that more public toilets were also planned across the city.