| We are now down to a household limit of 150 litres of water per person, per day. Forget being waterwise - bucketing the bath & washing water is a matter of survival. And, yes, it does require mega effort, doesn't it? Depending on your individual circumstances, there are ways around the buckets. I know someone with a rather high set laundry on an exterior wall (mine is on ground level in the middle of the house) who simply fitted a diverter to the plumbing pipe and runs the water into an Otto bin and uses an electric pressure pump (the kind that automatically turns on when you open a tap) to hose the garden. From what I gather, the untreated grey water has more of an impact on the soil than the plants - this, of course, affects the plants but the soil changes are more permanent. Green Plumbers (see below) outlines some of these concerns. However, soil microbes can do some amazing things (and the used engine oil which the previous owner disposed of along the fenceline gave me some practical experience). I maintain a good cover of mulch and add a cap full of Seasol to each bucket of grey water to keep up the microbe level. If I use fertiliser, it's blood and bone and I use animal manure when I can get it off farm. There is a grey water recycling system which puts the used water from bathroom and laundry through a series of filters and then pumps it back for toilet flushing and garden use. It's probably quite expensive but looks impressive. |
Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.greenplumbers.com.au/index.php?pageID=118
