Top 10 Odd Environmental Ideas

Environmental experts recently called toilet paper "one of the greatest excesses of our age," leading to suggestions that Americans adopt reusable cloth toilet wipes as an environmentally friendly alternative. Gross? Maybe, but it's just one of a slew of slightly offbeat ways to save the environment. Here's a look at 10 of the most odd, along with TIME's assessment of just how crazy they are.

— Dan Fletcher

Pig Urine Plates

Guy Christian / Hemis / Corbis
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The Problem: Many disposable plates and utensils are plastic, which is produced with fossil fuels and does not decompose easily.

The Solution: Produce them from pig urine, of course. A Denmark company called Agroplast can take urea compounds — a key component of urine — and use it to produce bioplastics that can be made into biodegradable plates and utensils. Other companies use less cringe-inducing starters like vegetable oil, but the Dutch company says pig urine, fraught with health hazards and high disposal costs unless processed, is a better environmental solution.

Eco Craziness: 5/5. There's no surer way to make your next dinner party your last.

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