Waste water i.e "Used Water". can be “recycled” which means it is purified and reused. There are many ways by which to treat waste water so that it can be re-used. The various methods used must be safe from a health point of view and not harmful to the environment.
Household waste water can be classified as follows: Black water: It is usually from the toilet containing urine and fecal matter Grey water: All other household waste water, essentially from the kitchen sink, clothes wash area , bathroom and other taps.
Grey water Treatment
Re-using water does not diminish our quality of life, however it can provide benefits on many levels.
With proper treatment grey water can be put to good use. These uses include water for laundry and toilet flushing, and also for watering plants. Treated grey water can be used to irrigate both food and non food producing plants.
The nutrients in the grey water (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) provide an excellent food source for these plants
washing machine water can flush toilet.
Looking at the water consumption of an individual, about 40% of the daily water demand is for toilet flushing. This means that if the other 60% is adequately captured, it will suffice for toilet flushing and there will still be some water left over for gardening.
Using bath water for gardening: Bath water has a negligible amount of soap and can safely be used for watering plants and trees. Using organic soaps will further help the cause
Major benefits of grey water use are:
Reducing the need for fresh water. Saving on fresh water use can significantly reduce household water bills, but also has a broader community benefit in reducing demands on public water supply.
Reducing the amount of wastewater entering sewers or on-site treatment systems. Again, this can benefit the individual household, but also the broader community.
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