In our honest efforts to save water at home and garden, we have already learnt following in the Part 1
Now it’s time to concentrate on,
B) Toilet
C) Kitchen
D) Garden and Outdoor
E) Other
So, let’s start!
B) Toilet
Toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixture in the house. So, in order to reduce the water consumption, some people follow…
If it’s yellow, let it mellow.
If it’s brown, flush it down!
For those who are not familiar with this term, it simply means, not flushing every time after you urinate and letting it sit in the toilet until a “bigger job” comes along.
Yikes! That’s simply gross!
• This can look really nasty and cause serious hygiene issues.
• It’s not at all advisable, if many people are using the same toilet.
So, do you really need to flush every time? Yes! You should, at least for the sake of other people. Fortunately, there are much simpler courses of action, which are not as disgusting as this one. So, let’s have a look at these simple small-small things to reduce your usage of water in toilets.
1) Don’t use your toilet as a waste bin
Some people just treat their toilets as a trash bin by flushing away all the random things and end up creating a total mess at home and paying on costly maintenance, repair charges.
Such people are main culprit in blocking in the main sewer system causing flooding and environmental pollution.
Nearly 50% of women say that, they flush tampons down the toilet. Never ever flush down wet wipes, paper towels, cigarette butts, grease, condoms and sanitary products even if it says ‘biodegradable’ or ‘flushable’ on the packaging.
Even if something is biodegradable, it will not happen as instantly as dissolving a salt in water. It can take months to break down.
2) Use low-flow toilets
Low-flush toilets look just like an old conventional one but use significantly less water than a full-flush toilet.
Older toilets can use up to 7 gallons (Approx. 26 litres) of water with every flush. Whereas new toilets can only use up to 1.6 gallons (Approx. 6 litres) per flush which is almost 4 times lesser.
3) Install a dual flush toilet
Low-flow toilets save water – dual-flush toilets save even more. As the name suggests, it has a dual flushing system which allows us to use a ‘half flush’ (Approx. 3 litres) for liquids and a ‘full’ 1.6 gallons (Approx. 6 litres) for solids.
In simple words, it uses less water for peeing and more for pooping. A dual-flush toilet alone can cut down a home’s water usage by 67%. That’s great! Isn’t it?
4) Make your old toilet more efficient
If you can’t replace your old toilet with dual flush/ low flow, you can still reduce the water consumption with a very simple technique.
Fill a plastic bottle with some pebbles to make it heavy. Close the lid properly and put it in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms.
Due to the volume of the bottle, lesser water is filled in the tank, which results in lesser wastage of water with every flush.
Or, you can also buy an inexpensive toilet tank bank specially designed for this purpose. This trick may save 10+ gallons (Approx. 38 Litres) of water per day.
Notes:
- You can try keeping 1-2 bottles in your flush tank depending upon their size.
- If you put too many bottles in it, very less water will get flushed. Although it is ok for peeing, it won’t be able to flush away the solid waste. As a result, you may have to flush twice, which can cause even more wastage of water. So, make sure to keep sufficient water in the tank for proper flushing.
- Some people suggest keeping a clay brick in the flush tank. Never ever do it. Clay brick is porous and when it sits in the water for too long, it starts to break apart and the resulting sediment will clog up your tank.
5) A no flush squat toilet is a great option!
Squat toilet is a toilet arranged at floor level and can be used by squatting, rather than sitting. They are also referred to as Indian/ Turkish/ French toilets.
They are particularly common in many Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Japan, China, middle-east and Africa who also practice anal cleansing with water rather than using j a toilet paper. I have the same one at my home.
Pros:
It is more hygienic:
Squat toilets are easier to clean and are more hygienic as compared to sitting toilets because there is no skin contact with the surface of the toilet seat. That’s why they are ideal for heavy / continuous use in public places too.
Women are more vulnerable to Urinary tract infection (UTI) and public toilets can spread such diseases really quick. That’s why, whenever I have a choice to use squat vs sitting toilet, I always prefer squat.
It’s a healthier choice:
Squatting has been scientifically proven to relieve constipation. It straightens your rectum, and makes elimination faster, easier and more complete without straining.
As a result, it helps to prevent appendicitis, and anything that causes colon cancer and other diseases.
I totally agree with this. Being an Indian, I have used squat toilet for my entire life and every day, I was able to feel light in just 5 minutes and almost never experienced a constipation problem.
Whereas in Netherlands, everyone uses sitting toilet and it takes me at least 10-15 minutes for the same job.
As per the studies, squat toilet it is good for pregnant women by avoiding pressure on her uterus and it’s regular use can help to physically prepare a pregnant woman for easier natural delivery.
It’s Eco-friendly:
Generally, a small bucket is kept in the toilet for cleaning and it takes roughly 1-2 gallons (approx. 3-5 Litres) of water per job.
Hence, a no flush squat toilet can save lot more water as compared to normal sitting toilet.
Cons:
You need to be careful:
If you are not careful, there is a risk of soiling clothing as the urine is less likely to splash on shoes and bottom parts of trousers.
Not convenient for elderly:
The squat posture puts pressure on the knees and feet. Hence, they are not convenient for people with joint pain, arthritis, disabilities, heavy weight and the elderly as compared to sitting toilets.
This problem can be solved very easily by using a toilet chair for such family members which allows them to use squat toilet as a sitting toilet without changing the setup.
6) Go waterless – dare to use a bucket toilet:
Bucket toilets are generally used as a temporary solution while camping. Thanks to the zero-waste movement, bucket toilet system is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world and many people are looking at it as a permanent alternative for typical water consuming drainage system.
How it works?
- Instead of using a conventional sitting toilet, a bucket is placed under a toilet seat/chair.
- We can use it as a normal toilet for peeing and pooping.
- Once the job is done, instead of using water or flushing system-sawdust, dry leaves, soil or shredded newspaper is used to cover up the business in order to prevent its visibility, flies and foul odour.
- Once the bucket is full, it is transferred manually into a large drum, away from the house.
- When the large drum is full, it is covered properly and left for composting
- A new drum is used for the storage.
- In the meantime, all the manure reduces to almost half the size and gets converted into beautiful compost for your garden and farms!
Pros:
It’s simple and affordable:
Bucket toilets are easy to install / carry. They require no expensive setup or connection to plumbing system, which makes them affordable to all.
Requires no water:
I have been to many places where public toilets are built by the government but are not in use due to extreme shortage of water in that area. People have left with no option but to defecate in open even after having a proper sanitation system.
Bucket toilet is a good option for such drought affected areas, as it does not use water for waste disposal. Hence, people can definitely try bucket toilet method at/near their home.
No need to defecate in open:
In many developing countries, apart from traditional taboos of not keeping a toilet inside/nearby house, there are so many villages that simply can’t afford to build toilets at home due to lack of resources and high upfront cost.
In such rural areas, women still have to find their way through muddy fields, away from their village in the early hours of the day to defecate in the open, behind the cover of bushes.
Sometimes they get bitten by insects / snakes or get teased by the passer-by roadside Romeos.
But with this simple and cost effective solution, women no longer need to struggle or feel ashamed by defecating in open.
Produces good compost:
It is a best eco-friendly way to convert manure into nutrient rich compost that can be used in the fields to grow crops naturally, without spending any money on buying expensive chemical fertilizers.
Ideal for zero waste lifestyle:
Bucket toilet does not stink at all, if covered properly. Although it’s not for everyone, many nature lovers and minimalists are trying this option as a unique experiment for zero waste future.
Cons:
- Requires space for storage
- Can lead to poor hygiene and health risks if not maintained properly
Nowadays, many sophisticated versions of compost toilets are available in the market which can be easily used for road trips, camping, recreational activities as well as in RV, boats or even in house.
If you are staying in a village/ outskirt or have no access to proper toilets / plenty of water, you can definitely try this affordable alternative to expensive toilet system.
C) Kitchen
1) Reuse the water…
That’s left in the glass:
Many times, people fill the glass with water, but drink only half of it. Remaining water is mostly thrown away later and ends up in the drainage.
Especially, when we have guests at home, the amount of wastage increases significantly. You can collect this water in a bucket and use it to water your plants / wash your toilet etc.
And in the bottle:
Similarly, many times, we carry water bottle while travelling, and once we reach home, we totally forget about it.
Next day, we just throw away the remaining old water and refill the bottle with fresh one. You can easily utilize this water for cleaning your house.
Save water during food preparation:
We all use a lot of water for food preparations daily. You can place a bucket in your kitchen to collect waste water produced while preparing the food.
Once the bucket is full, you can use this water for either watering your plants or cleaning outdoor area. You may end up burning some calories too by walking to and from the kitchen to the back yard.
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Washing fruits and veggies?-Water your plants:
Instead of washing vegetables and fruits under a running tap water, wash them 1-2 times in a vessel/ bowl filled with water.This water generally contains soil and loses leaves/roots. Later, you can collect this water in a bucket for watering your plants.
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Rinsing rice and lentils?-Make your plants stronger:
We always rinse rice, pulses and lentils before cooking to remove impurities. The whiteish / yellowish waste water acts like a best tonic for your plants.I have many plants in my balcony, and their growth rate and immunity against pests changed significantly after regularly watering them with this water.
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Cooking veggies?-Make a soup:
Many times, we cook our vegetables and pulses in the water and then remove the excess water. This water contains many nutrients and it is better to drink it as a soup.If you don’t like the taste, just add some salt and pepper and drink it. It is super healthy. If you are already not doing it, start today.
You can also save this vegetable stock to use it later for preparing your food.
Anyways, cooking foods in less water is always better as it retains the nutritional value of the food as well.
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Boiling eggs?:Reuse water
When we boil eggs, potatoes or rinse the pasta, we generally throw the water away. You can collect this water. Let it cool down and then use it in your garden.
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Don’t defrost frozen foods with running water
You can either put frozen things in the sunlight, refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave.
Few years ago, I read an article in newspaper about a woman, who used to water old big trees around her housing society daily with the water saved in her kitchen.
Unfortunately, her neighbours were not matured enough to understand her efforts and asked her to stop doing it; as waste water from the kitchen would ruin the trees.
I really felt bad for that lady. That’s why I want to create more awareness about it.
So, next time, instead of opposing such good initiatives, people will happily become a part of it.
2) Wash Your Utensils With Less Water:
Hand wash:
A really efficient and smart dishwasher can save upto 60% of water than regular hand washing.
But if you have an old dishwasher, it’s better to wash dishes with hands rather than using an old, water and power intensive dishwasher. This way, we can save water as well as electricity.
We had an old dishwasher at our rented home in Netherlands, which we didn’t used even once. I preferred hand washing utensils in small lots.
If you hand wash your dishes, running the average kitchen sink faucet for just 4 minutes can use the same amount of water as a conventional dishwasher.
So, while washing dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running all the time for rinsing. I always apply soap to all the dishes first and then turn on the faucet to start washing all the dishes in one go.
Make the most of double sink:
If you have a double sink, you can plug it up and fill one part with soapy water for washing and another one with clear rinsing water.Let your dried dishes, greasy pots and pans soak in a soapy water for a few hours rather than running the hot water constantly and scrubbing it hard to get it cleaned.
You can reduce significant amount of efforts and water with this method. If you don’t have a double sink, you can use a small tub to clean your utensils.
Waste less in dishwasher:
If you must use a dishwasher, wash only full loads of dishes. Rinsing can waste 2.5 gallons of water per minute, and most new dishwashers don’t require it.So, don’t forget to scrape food residue from your plate instead of rinsing it before loading it into the dishwasher. Be sure to scrape from dishes instead of rinsing.
It will be more economical and less water consuming.
3) Install Sink-To-Toilet System:
If you want to go one step further in water conservation and are willing to spend some money for it, you can install a sink-to-toilet system at your home.
In this system, drainage water from the sink is filtered and stored in a reservoir, which is later used to flush the toilet.
It will cost upfront money, but you may end up saving more water in long run, ultimately saving some bucks on your water bills. So, rather than considering it as an unnecessary spending of money, treat it like an investment for the future.
Even if you are not that messy in the kitchen, lot of food scraps can unknowingly find their way down your sinks. This can not only block your drainage system, but also can affect the performance of your filtration system.
So, always use a good sink strainer which stops even small food particles or hair from escaping, and yet are large enough to allow water to flow seamlessly. So, if someone has “accidentally” dumped food into the wrong side, it can remedy that quickly.
Try cheap and quick DIY alternative:
If you have a flexible pipe to your sink drainage, you can manually connect it to a bucket or a container whenever you want and use it to water your garden without even filtering it.
Don’t collect the water while washing your utensils, as it may contain oil and chemicals from soapy water.