Wasting water. Something very few of us will admit to doing it because ultimately, we see ourselves as never wasting anything. Especially in an economy when everything has become so expensive, and the cost of living is the highest it’s been in decades. Waste water? We would never!
However, if we’re all a little more honest with ourselves. We probably aren’t putting every drop of water to it’s best use. While you may have stopped leaving the taps on when brushing your teeth, you’re still throwing away old glasses of water that have been left on your bedside table for a couple of days. Wasting water may be obvious to some, but for many of us, we’re wasting water without being aware that it’s happening.
We’re so used to treating water like it is an infinite resource always available to us, but it isn’t. With water bills set to rise, you’ll want to get some new water habits instilled in your home sooner rather than later.
Getting involved, recycling water
It’s admittedly a difficult habit to get into. But pouring water down the sink is a habit we need to stop before we can recycle wastewater. So, this is the best place to start in order to begin your journey of recycling water. Every time you go to pour water into the sink take a moment to pause. Could you use that water elsewhere?
Drinking water from your glasses we know can water your houseplants. You can reuse pasta cooking water as a conditioner for your hair, but it is also good for keeping aside to make a soup with too. Rice water has a great creamy texture to it. All you need to do is store it in a separate jar and cool it as quickly as possible. In fact, rice water is one of the most versatile waters that you can recycle in your home. Kimchimari, as the Koreans call it, is great for cleaning everything from your hair and face to your oven. Store it in your fridge and use it when necessary for your shower, toilet, pots, and pans.
It is very rare that you will find water in your home that cannot be reused in one way or another. Even a dirty washing-up bowl of water can be used to flush your toilet. Something that seems a step too far when your toilet works perfectly fine, but if your flush breaks, you’ll thank us later.
There is a great need to stop wasting water in these ways, especially during the warmer months which we’re speedily heading into. Conserving water at home, even if it’s only 10 litres a day, will make a big difference. Imagine if every person in your community reduced their consumption by 10 litres a day – we’d have plenty of water in the summer with no worries of scarcity.
Other ways we’re wasting water
By reusing water in your home as much as you can, you’re certainly making a large dent in preventing it from being wasted. But just like we say ‘reduce, reuse recycle’ with our waste, we should be thinking about it with our water. Recycling water in ways we’re previously mentioned should come last. The priority should be to reduce your waste consumption.
We do this through shortening shower times, being efficient with how we clean our dishes, and using less water for cleaning around our home. Reducing it is what’s going to save you money on your water bill so it’s the area you’ll want to focus on the most.
Ask yourself, what water you currently have around your home and how you could put it to better use.
