The toilet is the single biggest user of water in the average home. Of the 340 litres of water used by the average Canadian household every day, about 30 per cent – or 102 litres – is used by flushing. Another 23 per cent is used by clothes washers and 14 per cent each by taps and showers. Leaks account for 10 per cent and baths six per cent. Dishwashers use two per cent.
Vancouver Sun reporter Kevin Grin has put together some tips on what consumers can do to conserve water at home:
The toilet: Older toilets use up to 12 litres a flush. Low-flush toilets use about half. Unless you’re installing a low-flow toilet, reconsider flushing. Is it necessary? Think of following the advice in the rhyming phrase: ‘If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.’ Is your toilet tank leaking? A leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres a year. A good test is to place food colouring in your tank to see if it shows up in the bowl. Your toilet is not a wastebasket. Don’t use it to flush garbage.
The bathroom tap: If you leave the faucet on while brushing your teeth, try this experiment: put a bowl in the sink and then turn on the tap. See how much water is in the bowl? Exactly. So turn off the tap while brushing, shaving and handwashing dishes.
The kitchen tap: Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl of water and then rinse or use a salad spinner. Some gardeners use leftover dishwater in their garden on ornamental and non-edible plants. A leaking tap with a slow drip can lose up to 280 litres a week.
Read more helpful tips – www.vancouversun.com | July 9, 2015
