The 'down and dirty' on grey water

Did you know that leaving the tap running while you brush your teeth for two minutes, uses around 56 extra litres of water every day?  Of the roughly 150 litres of water a day that we each get through – around 20% washes our clothes and 30% or more washes our bodies.  Every year, all that water sweeps 2kg of skin, hair and other body matter down the drain per person along with the remains of the soap, shampoo and detergent!

One way of reducing the load on the water system, saving money and being more environmentally-friendly is to install a system to reuse your household ‘grey water’.  This wastewater can then be used for flushing the toilets or watering the garden - but you need to be extra careful which household personal care and laundry products you buy.

So here’s the down and dirty about the Earthwise range.  All our products are safe to use in grey water systems and septic tanks because the ingredients we use are biodegradable. 

In fact, almost all the materials used to make our products are naturally-occurring.  Over time our body care and laundry products are broken down by micro-organisms and are converted back into mineral and plant material in the top layer of the soil (humus).

As a general guideline it’s safer to use grey water to irrigate lawns, trees and flower beds than on salad vegetables or other food crops.  Untreated grey water has the potential to carry harmful microbes.

It’s also a good idea to alternate grey water with fresh water during periods of drought to avoid a build-up of salts in the soil.  In less extreme conditions, normal rainfall will dilute and disperse the soluble salts so that they can be reused as part of the soil nutrient cycle.  However, be aware that not all ‘eco-friendly’ products are grey water-safe, so check labels carefully.

Ministry of Environment advice (www.smarterhomes.org.nz ) on choosing products for use in grey water systems is to use ‘appropriate soaps and detergents – avoid washing powders that whiten or have enzymes, and avoid detergents or cleaners containing boron.’ 

For more information, take a look at the Smarter Homes website, it’s full of useful tips on how to reuse and recycle one of our most precious resources.