If you consider yourself a “Water Saving Warrior”, then we want to hear from you!
Water wise tips are simple things you can do around your home and garden every day to use water efficiently. As part of our ‘Live To 150L’ campaign, we are encouraging residents to send in their best water-saving tips so we can share them with the community and they can try them out too!
During the last drought, residents came up with some ingenious ways to reduce their water usage. Here are just some of the great water-saving tips we’ve received recently:
Bathroom
- I have a bucket under my shower head collecting the cold water before the hot water kicks in, I then put that water in my washing machine. (Janean)
- After having a bath, I do not empty the tub. I use a bucket to use the water to flush the toilet. Since I only flush a few times a day, the bath water lasts for many days. (Jean)
Kitchen
- I keep the water from boiling veggies and other things and use it to water pot plants inside and outside. (Katharina)
- We've taken to keeping a jug next to the kitchen sink for "water reuse". Half full cups, bottles or water from vegetables are tipped in then used to fill a watering can for the garden. (Audrey)
Lawn/Garden
- When using a high-pressure hose, hook it up to the tank instead of town water. (Aaron).
- Got a freshwater fish tank? That water can be used on your garden when cleaning! (Rebecca)
Each month, one resident's tip will win a $50 Bunnings gift card. Entries must be submitted in a text format and must be no longer than 100 words in length. If you have multiple tips to share, you can submit up to three tips per month.
Do you have a nifty water-saving tip that you would like to share with your fellow Coasties? Whether it’s a tip to save water in the kitchen, garden, laundry or bathroom, if we all get involved, we’ll make it easy to keep our daily water use to 150 litres each.
Submit your water-saving tips today and you could be a winner. Good luck!
Monthly winners:
• February 2020 - Anne Drury, Hamlyn Terrace: “After it has rained, dry car off with a chamois. Looks as if you have just washed it."
• January 2020 - Kathy Minassian, Terrigal: “A friend of mine had a fantastic idea, she and her husband picked up four 200-litre detergent drums from a truck washing facility and converted them into rain water tanks by redirecting the water from their house gutters directly into the drums via the downpipe. The repurposed drums were destined for landfill. She has a thriving herb garden and has not used the garden hose for months.”
• December 2019 - Courtney Sutcliffe, West Gosford: “Use terracotta pots to make 'olla' water reservoirs in the garden, the saucer on top as a lid also acts as drinking water for bees and other insects.”
• November 2019 - Alesha Evans, Glenning Valley: “We place some ice cubes onto the soil of our indoor plants rather than using a watering can to ensure that the plants aren’t being over-watered. The cubes gradually melt and water slowly seeps into the soil. This also prevents water from being wasted as it gushes out the bottom of the pot like often happens when being watered in a steady stream from a watering can. Our plants aren’t waterlogged and out water usage is now much savvier!"
• October 2019 - Angie Galea, Blue Haven: “Usually we tip the water from our condenser dryer straight down the sink. I was thinking it’s such a waste so we have started watering our house plants with it. I also do the same with the coffee machine waste water, it makes an excellent fertiliser and my kids love getting to water the plants.”
• September 2019 - Audrey Southam, Gorokan: “We've taken to keeping a jug next to the kitchen sink for "water reuse." Half full cups, bottles or water from vegetables are tipped in then used to fill a watering can for the garden. Made me really aware of how much we just chucked down the sink. Now, I put less in my glass rather than waste it. Easy and simple.”
