glossary: gray water
While we spend a lot of time discussing water conservation as a whole, we thought it would also be helpful to begin defining some of the pertinent terms and concepts.
In simple terms, gray water is defined as used water from your sink, shower, or washing machine. It doesn’t include water from your toilet (known as black water), or water from kitchen sinks or dishwashers (which contain food particles and other pollutants).
Gray water is contaminated and can’t be used for drinking. However, it’s a great way to water your lawn. Americans’ lawns account for about 30 percent of residential water consumption—or 2 billion gallons a day. Worse yet, most Americans water their yards with the same water they drink. Gray water not only has the potential to save a tremendous amount of fresh water, some studies have shown that the cleaning solvents in gray water may also be an effective fertilizer.
how to collect gray water
Sold yet? If so, there are some simple, elbow-grease solutions for collecting gray water—like plugging the sink and scooping out the used water in buckets. You can take those buckets of water and dump them directly into plant soil.
If the thought of scooping your own bath water doesn’t exactly appeal to you (it doesn’t really appeal to us either), there are cheap DIY-systems that involve simply rerouting washing machine water to your garden through a hose. One thing to keep in mind: Be sure to use a filter to catch food, dirt, or hair. Visit the World Wild Fund for Nature for step-by-step instructions.
Are you recycling your gray water? Which method do you like the best? Share your tips with our readers.
photo credit: rubenerd
