Water is a precious asset, and we can’t afford to waste it.
That’s the message that we hope to get across to the community with our 150 litre-a-day challenge and to aid in your water saving quest, we thought we would share our top tips to help conserve household water.
Check taps regularly
We’ve all been there.
There is a point when we’ve been totally relaxed reading a book or watching television and we get interrupted by that incessant drip, drip, drip sound.
It’s the unmistakable echo of water leaking out of a tap or pipe and the net result will not only cause a headache on the next water bill but will also have an impact on the environment as well.
Most people will put it out of their minds and deal with it later, but can you imagine the total result if every house on your street chose to ignore it? In any given year thousands of litres of water is wasted across the region by choosing to ignore those leaky taps.
Our top tip?
Check your taps and pipes regularly. If you think they are leaking tighten them with a washer. Major leaks can be prevented if dealt with early.
Another option is to ensure that all the taps in your house are up-to-date water savers. Do you have an old shower head? It could be time to call a plumber to help modernise your household and save water in the process.
Evaluate your cooking and cleaning routine
It takes a surprising amount of water to run a washing machine - upwards of 70 litres at a time, and while modern machines are certainly more efficient than their water-guzzling predecessors they still use a lot of water an energy.
Some simple tips could be to do the washing every other – ensuring you are washing the most amount of clothes as practical at the time, or hand washing where appropriate.
In the kitchen too, it is possible to conserve watch by taking some simple steps.
Handwashing the dishes or only putting on a fully loaded dishwater can save hundreds of litres over a year, while filling up a bowl from the sink to rinse fruits and vegetables instead of doing it under a tap are also some simple steps worth considering.
Reuse water creatively
When it comes to reusing water creatively few can match the ingenuity of Nasa.
Next time you’re outside on a starry night take a moment to look up. If you’re lucky you might just see the International Space Station whizzing (like our own mascot) by. In space, water is a precious commodity and every single drop is recycled on board utilising state-of-the-art technology. Yes, this includes the carbon dioxide the astronaut’s expel while breathing and even the astronaut’s urine!
Fortunately, on planet earth there are ways to creatively reuse water without breaking the bank and we aren’t reduced to drinking our waste products.
Some options include using the water from a fish tank on the garden, collecting water from the shower or bath tub to use in the toilet, or consider investing in a tank to supplement your house’s water supply and use that water for chores such as washing your car or driveway and watering the garden.
There are a variety of ways you can collect water from around the house and use it in other ways.
The final word
So, there you have it, here are our top tips for reducing water usage around the house. If there’s one takeaway that we can leave you with it’s this…
Remember every drop saved counts and if we all take steps now we can work towards the goal of reducing our consumption to 150L of water per person per day and make a community contribution that will extend this most precious of resources.
