A man uses a 'uritrottoir' public urinal on August 13, 2018, near the Gare de Lyon in Paris. - The city of Paris has begun testing 'uritrottoirs', dry public urinals intended to be ecological and odorless, but that make some residents cringe. (THOMAS SAM<doc-sep>Trying travel: Will it ever be easy again? A woman takes a selfie with cherry blossoms in full bloom along the Meguro river in Tokyo on March 26, 2021. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP) (Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images) How to make your own airline food at home during Covid-19 Phuket hopes to welcome back tourists, see what it's like there now New Christ statue in Brazil will be taller than Rio's A worker is seen in front of a Christ statue being built in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, on April 09, 2021. - The Christ the Protector statue under construction in Encantado will be larger than Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer and the third-largest in the world. (Photo by SILVIO AVILA / AFP) (Photo by SILVIO AVILA/AFP via Getty Images) Las Vegas lights up again with plans to fully reopen in June LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 05: Red lights flicker around the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign as part of a "red takeover" coinciding with the 37th National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) amid the coronavirus pandemic on May 5, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The U.S. Travel Association canceled IPW, its international trade show that was to be held in Las Vegas later this month, due to the spread of COVID-19. Chicago was scheduled to host IPW in 2021 but agreed to step aside to let Las Vegas hold the show next year, recognizing the city's reliance on tourism, travel and gaming. Today, because of the coronavirus's impact on travel, the association hosted its first-ever virtual road trip in support of NTTW's "Spirit of Travel" campaign, which highlights the industry's resilience and eventual economic recovery in the face of the pandemic. On Tuesday evening, The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority had hotel-casinos and attractions along the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas lit red, this year's official color of NTTW, in a show of solidarity. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) At the mercy of the sea in one of the lowest countries on Earth Facade of one of the rooms of the Roman structure The wait is over, you can finally see this adorable panda cub See how this national park in Africa is counting wildlife (CNN) — An attempt by officials in Paris to tackle public urination by installing open-air urinals, or “uritrottoirs,” has outraged some residents of the French capital. The new urinals, housed in flower boxes, aren’t subtle – they’re fully exposed on street corners, are painted bright red and have nearby signs advertising their presence. CNN City officials have installed four open-air urinals, or "uritrottoirs." One in particular, located near the Notre-Dame cathedral, has drawn attention for its view of the River Seine. The “intelligent urinals,” which have a straw layer that eliminates odor, were installed in areas where public urination is a problem, according to a statement from city officials. CNN One urinal, located near the Notre Dame cathedral, overlooks the River Seine. Officials say the urinals are eco-friendly – they will harness nutrients in waste to produce compost for parks and gardens. According to the statement, one year of a person’s urine holds enough nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to fertilize 400 square meters of wheat. However, these features have done little to calm the ire of local residents, who have written to the town hall in protest. CNN The urinals claim to be eco-friendly, as they turn waste into compost for parks and gardens. “I think installing a urinal in the streets of Paris for those who don’t respect their surroundings is a good idea, but in my opinion, this model is not attractive at all, and where it’s been set up is not appropriate at all,” one man told reporters. Another resident complained that “it is definitely a desirable and historic neighborhood, but seeing people urinating right in front of your door is not the nicest thing.” Ariel Weil, mayor of the fourth district of Paris, tweeted in defense of the urinals on Monday, calling them “an invention of genius.” Four have been installed so far, with a fifth being planned. Paris isn’t the first European city to install outdoor urinals. Amsterdam has had them for years, and cities in Belgium and Australia have also trialed them. A centuries-old tradition Public urinals, or pissoirs as they’re known in French, have a long history in Paris, dating back to the late 1800s when they were installed for men traveling to and from work. It wasn’t until women started entering the workforce in greater numbers decades later that the need for enclosed cubicles with seats, toilet paper and hand basins emerged, explained Raymond Martin, managing director of the British Toilet Association. adoc-photos/Corbis Historical/Corbis via Getty Images Public urinal in Paris, circa 1875. “In London, this is where the phrase ‘spend a penny’ came from, as it cost a penny to use these facilities – the equivalent of buying a loaf of bread in those days,” Martin told CNN. Meanwhile some Parisian public toilets became “almost ornamental, due to their decorative features,” said Martin. He added that the buildings had the added advantage of offering space for advertisers. But centuries after the first pissoirs were installed in Paris, women are still not being adequately catered for, said Martin. “The trouble today is the inequality for women,” he said, adding that in the UK, various proposals for female urinals had been rejected on the grounds that they exposed women in public. CNN’s Sheena McKenzie contributed to this report<doc-sep>A man stands at a 'uritrottoir' public urinal on August 13, 2018, on the Saint-Louis island in Paris, as a 'bateau mouche' tourist barge cruises past. Tourists visiting Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral and River Seine might see more than they came for as public, exposed urinals are now available for use across the city. The bright red "uritrottoirs" are meant as an eco-friendly solution to public peeing. The receptacles look like a planter at first glance, with greenery filling the top. But a sign directs eyes down to the side of the structure, revealing a urinal. Aside from a slight U-shaped catcher, there are no privacy shields for any man using it. And not all of the urinals are tucked away in private places – one actually faces a waterway frequented by tourist boats. The uritrottoir on the Ile Saint-Louis, near the Notre Dame cathedral and about 22 yards away from a school has been widely criticized by locals, Reuters reports. "There's no need to put something so immodest and ugly in such an historic spot," local art store owner Paola Pellizzari told Reuters. Paris has struggled to prevent public or "wild peeing" for years, even implementing an "incivility brigade" to enforce fines for uncouth behavior in 2016. The company behind uritrottoir says the receptacles are filled with straw, where the urine flows, and can be used for compost within a year. The uritrottoir, marketed as odor-free, also comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. 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PARIS locals are in uproar about new urinals in the city that are completely exposed – so you can see people peeing. The new “urinoirs” are eco-friendly and have been installed on Ile Saint-Louis, an island in the river Seine, overlooking tourist boats that sail past. 4 A man is seen peeing into one of the urinoirs in Paris, which is leaking onto the floor Credit: Getty - Contributor 4 The open-air urinals do not have anything enclosing them at all Credit: Getty - Contributor They are painted bright red and have flower boxes installed in them, with signs that point to them nearby. Parisians have put together a petition and written to the town hall to demand that the urinals are removed. Local resident and business owner Paola Pellizzari said: "There's no need to put something so immodest and ugly in such an historic spot. "[The urinals] are beside the most beautiful townhouse on the island, the Hotel de Lauzun, where [French poet] Baudelaire lived.” 4 Some of them have been placed facing out onto the river Seine Credit: Getty - Contributor She said she feared one urinal, installed 22 yeards from a primary school, "incites exhibitionism". The designer of the "uritrottoir" - a combination of the French words for urinal and pavement - said it offered an "eco solution to public peeing". The device is essentially a box with an opening in the front and a floral display on top, containing straw which transforms into compost for use in parks and gardens. But Ile Saint-Louis locals said the receptacle, with no stall around it of any kind, could blight their ultra-chic neighbourhood. One 50-year-old local resident, who declined to give his name, said: "It's horrible. We're told we have to accept this but this is absolutely unacceptable. It's destroying the legacy of the island. Can't people behave?" Local mayor Ariel Weil insisted the devices were necessary, however. Paris authorities have rolled out four of the stand-up male loos in spots where public peeing has been a problem, and a fifth is planned. 4 The urinals are eco-friendly and have plants growing on top of them Credit: Getty - Contributor He said: "If we don't do anything, then men are just going to pee in the streets. If it is really bothering people, we will find another location." Some have even branded their installation discriminatory. Gwendoline Coipeault of French feminist group Femmes Solidaires said: "They have been installed on a sexist proposition: men cannot control themselves (from the bladder point of view) and so all of society has to adapt." She continued: “The public space must be transformed to cause them minimum discomfort. "It's absurd, no one needs to urinate in the street." MOST READ IN TRAVEL SEA YOU THERE Seaside B&B beats posh Claridge’s in top hotels list and reveals its secret FERRIED AWAY Brits travelling to France must self-isolate on arrival due to Indian variant ISLE BE BACK Canary, Balearic & Greek islands 'could be on green list if country is amber' LIFE'S A BEACH Greece reveals new beach rules as it prepares for the return of Brits SAFE TRAVELS Is it safe to go on holiday abroad? The 4 factors to consider before booking HOLA-DAYS! Ecstatic Brit holidaymakers fill Benidorm beaches after Spain opens to tourists So could cities in the UK get these new eco-friendly urinals installed any time soon? A spokesperson for the Greater London Authority said: "We haven’t got any plans to introduce public urinals in London." Sun Online Travel previously reported that airlines may in the future install urinals to cut down the queuing time for loos on board planes.