Water unites everyone on the planet, and as well as keeping us alive, it has thousands of other uses, yet we undervalue it, take it for granted and often waste it.
As many countries are now experiencing hot weather more frequently, our demand for water increases. Water companies need to act to reduce leaks and wastage, but there are also ways we can all save water around the house, as well as save money and preserve this valuable resource.
Tap water is clean, safe to drink and delivered directly to our homes. A lot of work has gone into getting it there and testing it to ensure it’s safe; we should think of this as gold-plated water. In some cases we need this, but when we come to water the plants or flush the toilet, we don’t really need to use this gold-plated water.
We can follow the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle to use less of this water and to make the most of the water we do use this summer.
Reducing water use
Thinking of water as a valuable resource helps us recognise when we’re wasting it. A simple example is leaving the tap running while brushing our teeth. A tap in the UK can deliver 10-15 litres of water per minute, so leaving the tap running for a minute each time we brush our teeth could waste 9,000 litres per year. On a street of 70 family homes, that’s enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool each year.
We can also use water (and energy) more efficiently by always filling the dishwasher, rather than running it half empty, and only putting as much water as we need in the kettle.
Toilets are the elephant in the (bath)room: Every flush uses at least four litres of water, and sometimes as much as 13 litres. It’s not for everyone, but depending on your household, it may not be necessary to flush every time. Keeping the lid closed and adopting the “If it’s yellow, let it mellow” principle just once a day could save the average home over 3000 litres of water each year.
If you are renovating a bathroom, you can save water by using a toilet-sink combination unit, which reuses water to flush. Many water companies provide testing strips or instructions on how to check whether your toilet is leaking water. If your toilet is older, you can reduce the amount of water used each flush by installing a water-saving device in the cistern. You can buy one or even make your own quite easily.
Using leftovers
Some tasks need that gold-plated clean water, but some don’t. For example if we use water for cooking, such as boiling vegetables or washing salad, the leftover water is perfectly suitable for watering plants. Water from a reusable water bottle you didn’t drink can go in the kettle, the birdbath, or anywhere but down the sink.
Speaking of the sink, keeping a jug here is a great way to reduce water use. It means you can capture water that would otherwise be wasted and reuse it. Every time we turn on the hot tap and wait for it to warm up, we waste litres of water. Capturing this in a jug and using it for something else is a good idea.
Using greywater
Greywater is water that’s already been used, such as from a bath, shower or basin. We all produce a lot of it, and while we can’t use it for everything, there are opportunities to reuse it if we’re willing to put in a little effort.
A shower uses less water than a bath, but if you do have a bath, use a bathroom bucket or jug to reuse this water to flush the toilet later. Either throw the water down the pan or flush then use it to refill the cistern. You could also use greywater on non-edible plants, or to wash your bike.
I previously built a system to refill our toilet automatically from a greywater tank. This can save thousands of litres of water. The challenge was getting the greywater back up to the height of the toilet cistern without using lots of energy, as this could cancel out the environmental benefit of the water saving. I used a siphon and a solar-powered pump. If you’re looking for a project there are examples online.
Using rainwater
In the UK, for a large part of the year we are blessed by an abundance of free water from the sky. Unfortunately it doesn’t always arrive when we need it, so storing rainwater is really important.
Water butts are fantastic. If you have a downpipe, you should install a water butt. They are relatively easy to fit and fairly cheap, starting around £30. It’s surprising how quickly they fill up, and even small roofs like sheds often deserve their own. If you don’t have a downpipe or gutters, there are other ways to collect water.
Leaving a bucket outside is simple but very effective. More complex methods include large trays which drain into water butts, hanging sheets (hang a plastic sheet with a slight sag in it, angled so water runs down into a bucket), or even upturned umbrellas, which you can pop outside when it starts to rain and then empty.
Making the area you capture water from as large as possible is the key. Place buckets under any drips from roof corners or areas where you see puddles. Sinking a small pot into a larger pot can also help retain rainwater and keep a plant container moist over a few days.
Stuart Walker, CC BY
Catching rainwater also has wider benefits if you live in a flood-risk area. In a storm, if some of the water fills water butts, this reduces the amount entering drains and watercourses and can help reduce flooding.
As climate change starts to really take hold in the UK, we will see more heatwaves, more water shortages, and more pressure on our water systems. By recognising how valuable water is and doing our best to preserve it, we can help reduce the environmental impact, save money, and help make sure there’s enough for everyone.
