Practical ideas for recycling water. Every little helps!
Place a Bucket in the Shower
I take advantage of having a shower in the bathtub in an upper floor bathroom. By inserting the plug, when I’ve finished showering, I syphon the water with a hose that I’ve attached just outside my window to a 120 L bin on ground floor level. The next morning when the water has cooled, I use another hose setup for the watering of my front garden.
Once your hoses are setup, it’s a very quick process. This can be a plant saver in the case of drought (hosepipe bans). And it feels good watering your plants with recycled water.
IMPORTANT: I strictly use biodegradable soap & I wash my hair with sodium bicarbonate (no poo! (no shampoo). I’ll write about that in a future post)
Reuse Water From Old Drinking Bottles
Instead of pouring leftover water down the drain. Water your house plants or garden plant pots.
Use a rain barrel to collect water from your roof
Some rain barrels can be quite expensive. A cheaper option is to use a rubbish bin. You can modify the lid to have the drainpipe going in & a smaller hose coming out for excess that drains directly onto your garden.
Collect water when rinsing fruit & vegetables
Have a clean bucket or large bowl at hand to place under your colander to collect water while rinsing.
Collect water while waiting for cool water to flow
When I forget to cool water in the fridge, I often have to run the tap for 30 seconds or so to get fresh drinking water. This is a perfect opportunity to collect water. I water the pot plants just outside my kitchen, so I don’t need to use the garden hose at all.
Install a Grey Water Collection System
if it‘s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down
Don’t flush the toilet after urination, only after defecation.
Apparently…
“…Initially coined during one of the California droughts.” wiktionary
Use bidet water to flush/rinse toilet bowl
With the right sized container, instead of draining the water after your bidet, you can pour it in the toilet. Not quite as vigorous as the real toilet flush, but pretty effective if you get the right action going : )
Scatter Your Leftover Ice on the Lawn
Consider the water wastage when buying products
You won’t believe the amount of water used in producing a cotton t-shirt.
The single use mentality imposed on Fashion Conscious People is frightening & very damaging!
“The growth, manufacturing, transporting, and washing of cotton uses huge amounts of water.
For example, it takes about 2,700 liters of water to make just one t-shirt , which is enough water for one person to drink for 900 days.” Julie Malone, TRIPLEPUNDIT
On a more positive note, she goes on to say…
“Fortunately, there is good news from the industry. Companies are making great strides in reducing their water footprint for cotton. Major textile brands are looking towards more eco-friendly cotton production. WWF works with farmers and the businesses that buy their crops to develop sustainable farming methods. This takes the strain off water supplies, not just for cotton, but for other “thirsty crops” like sugar cane and rice.”
I highly recommend reading all of Julie Malone’s article. It’s very educational.
