Water

Quick Wins | Medium Term Wins | Longer Term Wins

In New Zealand we are luckier than a lot of countries in that we are blessed with a large amount of water. However we cannot be complacent. Clean drinking water takes a lot of energy to produce. With our increasing population there is increasing demand. There is also increasing contamination of our waterways, and increasing drought in some areas of the country.

Many of us have already had to face water restrictions at some stage. The occurrence of this will only increase unless we all make an effort.

Did you know that each person uses on average 250 litres of water per day, and only 5% of that is for drinking? Saving water will not only help the planet, but will also reduce your water bills!
 

Quick Wins

  • fix your dripping taps and make sure you turn your taps of properly. A worn washer is cheap to replace

  • turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth

  • only run your dishwasher when it is full, or use the economy setting

  • use the automatic water setting on your washing machine, or set the water level to suit the load

  • rinse your vegetables in a bowl of water rather than under a running tap and use this to water your pot plants

  • have a shower instead of a bath, and reduce the amount of time you spend in the shower

  • choose the half flush option on the toilet unless a full flush is necessary

  • if you don’t have a half flush option, put a brick or plastic bag filled with water in the cistern

  • don’t leave a hose running when working outside, and use a bucket when washing the car (a running hose can get through 1000 litres each hour!)

  • use a broom to clean paths and driveways instead of the hose

  • using a water blaster instead of a hand held hose uses less water when cleaning the house

  • water your garden in the morning or evening when the weather is cool and the plants can absorb the water more effectively

  • use a timer to make sure you don’t leave the sprinkler running longer than necessary, and make sure your sprinkler is not watering a path, driveway or building

  • use mulch on your garden to save watering needs, or plant ground covers

  • put your organic waste in a compost bin or worm farm instead of using water to wash it down the waste disposal

  • choose plant based products for general cleaning, dishwashing and laundry cleaning - not only better for you but safer for your waste water

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Medium Term Wins

  • install low flow shower heads or a flow restrictor

  • get leaky toilet cisterns, taps and pipes fixed

  • capture water in a water tank or rain barrel for watering the garden or washing the car
     

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Longer Term Wins

  • install a dual flush toilet

  • choose water efficient toilets and taps

  • if you are replacing your washing machine or dishwasher, choose appliances with a higher water efficiency rating

  • install a water tank which can be plumbed into your home. There are some government and council subsidies for this.

     

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Last page update: July 2010

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