It has been a few days now since we have started learning about greywater and its impact on the environment. As part of this week’s challenge, I have turned off the water to my toilet and have been filling it with the greywater from my bath/shower using a bucket. Having done this for the past few days has shown me the light on just how messed up our bathrooms, as a society, are. Why don’t bathrooms have a direct line from the tub/shower to the toilet?
In my bathroom, the toilet tank is literally 4 feet from the bathtub drain. So, instead of moving water extremely long distances (sometimes hundreds of miles) to just go down the toilet, why can’t it make the 4 ft journey from my drain to the toilet tank? The current system is not only environmentally unfriendly, but also a burden on the water bill and plain old wasteful. If I am flying from LA to NY, there is no reason to go the long way, is there?
I just don’t think it needs to be that difficult. Where are the products that are under $1000 dollars to do this? Where is the tube that goes straight from the tub to the pooper? Maybe you, my readers, can fill me in on this ‘technology’ that I am missing out on.
This product could be out there and I just have not seen it yet, but it should be made available all over the place. Possibly, I am over simplifying this… but am I? It seems much simpler to have a device move 19 gallons of water (average toilet water used by a family) over just a few feet than hundreds of miles and through numerous chemical processes.
My rant is over and please let me know if you know of such a device. Well, I know of such a device and it is called “a bucket” and it works on “me” power. Let me know your story or advice in the comment area below.
My son’s soccer coach has a unique set up for his toilet. He has hooked up a rain barrel up high on the outside of his house. Then he attached a hose and some how connected it to his toilet. How he did all of this, I don’t know. Anyway, he uses rainwater, when the barrel isn’t empty, to flush his toilet with.
That sounds like a great idea Kristy. If we were more creative we would try to create something to make it more handy. In the mean time we will keep going with our present situation. Thanks for the great idea!
Hi there are a few commercially produced environmental toilets around – have a look at his – http://www.enviro-loo.com/ – they have distributors all round the world – its a waterlesss system . THeres another one which just at the moment I can’t remember the name of – which we looked at to install ( replace our wasteful water ones in the home)