Can you imagine how different our lives would be without toilets, running water and sewer systems? The lack of privacy in having to relieve yourself outside. The smells, the pests, the contaminated soil and drinking water, the resulting disease. For the more than 4.5 billion people this World Water Day who are struggling day-to-day without a safe toilet and adequate sanitation, no imagination is necessary.
The UN’s World Toilet Day, celebrated each year on 19th November, reminds us to appreciate the bloomin’ marvel that is modern plumbing. As well as calling for action to ensure that everyone has a safe toilet by 2030.
Want to get involved? Perhaps you could twin your toilet with one in Asia or Africa? Or hold a World Toilet Day cake sale, complete with poo emoji cupcakes and lemon widdle cake?! But whatever you decide to do, for water-saving’s sake, make sure that your loo at home gets some love…
Shine the bowl with a soak in some coke this World Toilet Day
Did you know that the combination of odd ingredients in classic, full fat Coca Cola will strip stains from toilet bowls? Pour the contents of a 2-litre bottle into the loo and leave overnight. Flush in the morning for a sparkling porcelain throne. We tried it, and now we’re 100% more likely to choose a cheap bottle of coke over harmful bleach cleaners; 100% less likely to ever drink coke again. Just think of what it must do to your insides!
Send off for a free save-a-flush device
Head to your water company’s website to bag water-saving freebies, such as the brilliantly simple save-a-flush bag. Pop the water absorbent plastic bag into your cistern. The bag expands to take up some of the space that would normally be filled by water. It saves a precious litre of water every time you push that button or pull that chain.
Do a quick leak check
If the seal at the bottom of your cistern has become dirty or is nearing the end of its life, a barely perceptible yet constant trickle of water down the back of the toilet bowl can result. With no effect on the function of the toilet, most of us carry on about our business without noticing that upwards of 400 litres of clean water a day is dribbling away down the khazi. Take a few minutes to test your loo for leaks this World Toilet Day – no plumbing skills required!
Nothing down the loo, except paper, pee and poo
Our plumbing and sewer systems are one of the greatest engineering feats in the history of humanity, yet our non-biodegradable flushings are clogging up the system something chronic. This World Toilet Day, let’s all fess up to flushing things we shouldn’t have and pledge only paper, pee and poo down the lav from now on. Had you heard of World Water Day before?
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