Reduce your environmental footprint while saving water

Rainfall has become unpredictable over the past few years and coupled with the growing population and therefore growing demand, water has become a rare commodity.

This has meant that we are urged to find new ways to save water in our homes and use it sparingly.

“The decreasing amount of drinkable water has become a reason for concern worldwide, and one way to try and combat any unnecessary waste is to focus on correcting our use of water on a daily basis,” said Mario Correia, brand manager for Organico.

“Our homes are a great source of water wastage, and by putting in place a few water-saving changes, we can make a difference to our environmental footprint.”

Reuse of water in the form of greywater and rainwater harvesting are two options that homes can explore when it comes to saving and reusing water:

• Greywater is water collected from your bathroom sinks, showers, baths and washing machines and do not have traces of any faecal matter. This can be used again for watering plants and even the washing of cars. Collection of greywater can be as simple as putting a bucket in the shower with you to collect any wasted water and using it in your garden. Do not keep greywater for more than 24 hours as it will begin to smell.

• Rainwater harvesting is the collection of rainwater that can be used to fill up your pools, water your garden and even wash your pets. This water is cleaner than greywater as there is no trace of soap products, and can be used as backup when dishes, windows and floors need to be washed. “One easy way to collect rainwater is to place a bucket under a gutter drainpipe, and the rainwater that would have spilled out of the pipe and onto the ground will now be collected in the bucket to be used later,” said Correia.

Another way to use rainwater to fill up your pool is to connect pipes to the ends of the drainpipes and have the water flow directly into your pool.

• Putting greywater and rainwater to use in your homes is a great way to reuse water and save drinkable water. However, there are other methods that families can implement daily to help with saving water initiatives:

1) While brushing your teeth, or washing your face be sure to switch off the tap. This is fresh water that is unnecessarily wasted.

2) Instead of doing a load of laundry every day, wait until you have enough clothes for a full load.

3) Make sure that all leaks are fixed in the house. This will not only save water but will save you money.

4) When washing dishes don’t rinse them under running water from the tap.

• There is no need to flush the toilet after every go.

“Water is our most precious resource. Every person, animal and plant needs water to survive and for this reason, there should be a collective effort in ensuring that we all do our part in conserving it,” said Correia.