Path dependencies of large sanitation infrastructure investments in the Global North contrast with rapidly urbanizing cities in the Global South, which present opportunities for alternative sanitation development pathways. Our research highlights conditions that may be “necessary but not sufficient” for P recycling, including access to capital resources. Our cross-city comparison shows that London and Baltimore recycle a larger percentage of P from human excreta back to agricultural lands than other cities, and that there is a large diversity in socio-environmental factors that affect the patterns of recycling observed across cities. We examine five case study cities by using a sanitation chains approach: Accra, Ghana Buenos Aires, Argentina Beijing, China Baltimore, USA and London, England. Here, we synthesize information about the pathways P can take through urban sanitation systems along with barriers and facilitators to P recycling across cities. However, the complex set of socio-environmental factors influencing urban human excreta management is not yet sufficiently integrated into sustainable P research. The capture and recycling of phosphorus (P), and other essential nutrients, from human excreta is particularly important as an alternative organic fertilizer source for agriculture. Understanding how cities can transform organic waste into a valuable resource is critical to urban sustainability.
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