WELCOME TO OUR Grey Water Recycling PROJECT
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Summary: Advice on what grey water recycling is and how you can use grey water in the home and garden.
Water is too precious a commodity to be wasted and using potable water (water which is fit for consumption by humans and other animals) to flush WCs and wash cars is extremely wasteful. It is estimated that only 6% of the water in an average household is used for drinking and cooking purposes. So using potable water for other household purposes makes neither economic nor ecological sense. Consequently, grey water recycling schemes are recognised as a being a significant way of obtaining the best use of water resources.
There are two types of waste water produced in domestic systems. Sewage (black water) which contains human waste and waste water (grey water) emanating from washing and cooking activities. These are kept separate in the plumbing system of a house but are mixed together when entering the sewerage network.
Some people believe that there is no need to recycle grey water in the UK considering that we receive large quantities of free water delivered from the heavens on a regular basis! However the cost of collecting, treating and delivering rain as potable water is huge. Therefore, recycling grey water has economic as well as green benefits.
Grey water is reusable and can be used for secondary purposes such as watering the garden and flushing WCs. But even after treatment it is not drinkable. The most basic method of recycling is using a bucket to collect bathwater, water discharged from washing machines and sinks and then filling WC cisterns with it and/or pouring it over gardens. Care must be taken however, not to use this grey water on vegetables, fruit trees or berry growing bushes or any plant in the food chain. This basic method is quite often used in the UK in periods of drought but is common practice in some overseas countries particularly where it is used for irrigation purposes.
Now there are more sophisticated methods of treating grey water than using a bucket! Most include the use of an underground collection chamber where the grey water is treated, stored and then pumped back into the house when required. It can also supply an external stand pipe. The treatment process, which can involve the use of filters and chemicals to retard bacterial growth, is important because waste water from baths, washing machines and wash basins can contain hair, skin and elements of soaps and detergents. These contain rich nutrients that can cause problems of odour and affect the quality of the water if stored untreated for long periods. There are some mini-systems on the market that provide a link between a bathroom sink and washbasin directly into an adjacent WC cistern.
The cost of grey water recycling varies in accordance with the size of the project and the method of recycling used. It is a very competitive market and prospective users should seek expert advice on the system best suited for their property.
You might want to go to our video section on recycling to watch a film on various ways to recycle in the home.
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