Water Reuse 101!

Safe and adequate access to fresh water has become one of the pivotal issues of the 21^st century. The price of fresh water is rising dramatically as demand continues to increase.  Residential consumers, commercial building owners and municipalities are all looking for ways to reduce water consumption and to put the brake on runaway water costs. They are looking for cost-effective ways to reduce their water consumption and are increasingly turning to greywater recycling as one of the most effective single steps that can be taken to achieve this vital goal.

What is greywater?

Water usage is divided into three groups: whitewater, blackwater and greywater. White water is potable clean water that we use to drink and cook with. Black water is water that has human waste within it. Greywater is defined as wastewater generated from wash hand basins, showers and baths, laundry, dishwashers and kitchen sinks. Although greywater may contain traces of dirt, food, grease, hair, and certain household cleaning products, there are many economical ways to reuse greywater on-site such as toilet flushing and irrigation for watering lawns and gardens.

How much water can we save?

According to the US Geological Survey, the average person uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. Flushing toilets, taking showers and baths and bathroom sink water are major sources of water usage. In an average household the toilet is flushed five times per day and, at roughly 2-4 gallons of water used per flush, this accounts for about 30% of the household’s water usage. The volume of water used in showers and baths approximates to the same volume of water used in flushing toilets. Thus, using shower and bath water for toilet flushing can reduce the water consumption within commercial and residential buildings by up to 35%. So why then are we flushing with potable water and sending shower and bath water directly to the sewer. With a Greyter Water System – you don’t have to!