6 ways to reuse Greywater

Thousands have lived without love, but not one without water. In today’s day & age where we are exhausting all the gifts of nature and heading for a major crisis for the human race, it is imperative on our part that the challenge posed by water shortage is met with practical solutions. The golden rule for this is to reuse & recycle. Water crises is a problem that can only be countered by finding as many innovative ways as we can.

Greywater management is one such way in which we use any domestic waste water produced excluding sewage (wastewater produced in toilet streams) for our daily use such as toilet flushing, landscape and crop irrigation and other non-potable uses. Greywater can also be easily treated as it contains very few pathogens and toxic elements.

Greywater management is not at all a highly sophisticated and technique-intensive task. All that it asks for is our intent as human beings to make optimum use of water, which is getting increasingly scarce in this planet.

Based on the volume of greywater, there are different methods and systems in place. Some methods are very easy, while others are fairly complex, based on our needs and demands. Let us find out more about sources of greywater and the different methods in which we can use it, in greater detail. We list out 6 ways how Greywater can be reused:-

• Washing machines: It is the first step from where one can start reusing greywater. This easy and cheap method involves storing or directly using the greywater diverted by the internal pump in the washing machine. One can use it without treating to water trees, plants, and in summers to also water concrete platforms and roads emanating heat and dust.
• Laundry-drum: In case you stay in a rented apartment or don’t want to invest on a washing machine, you can still play your part. Pump out or manually transfer wash water into a water/laundry-drum. You can attach a hosepipe at the bottom of the drum and move it around to water plants and irrigate crops.
• Shower-systems: It is true that a shower after a long day’s work can cool your nerves down like nothing else, however, one can never deny the amount of water that goes wasted because of showers. Making a shower tub and connecting the pipe that flows out water from it to a tank can prove to be very useful. If the platform to be irrigated is higher than the tank, then a pump needs to be attached, however, if it is a platform lower than where the greywater from the shower gets stored then gravity saves you up on electricity.
• Laundry-landscape: This flexible and low-on-maintenance system of greywater management was invented by the famous author and water-conservation systems designer Art Ludwig. In this method, the household plumbing remains undisturbed and the washing machine drain hose is directly attached to a diverter valve that switches the flow of greywater between the sewer/septic and the greywater irrigation system. The greywater irrigation system through tubes then directs the water to plants. When large gardens and farms are irrigated, this serves to be the cheapest and most efficient way.
• Branch-drain system: This system is also a designed by Art Ludwig. The branched-drain system was also invented by Art Ludwig. This system involves greywater flowing through standard 1 ½” size drainage pipes. It is a highly sophisticated process that relies on gravity to transport water downhill at 2% slope, or ¼ inch drop for every foot travelled horizontally, and the water is divided further into smaller quantities by using a plumbing fitting that splits the flow. The water collected is chiefly used to irrigate root zones of trees and large gardens. It is a very time-consuming system to be installed, but once in place it runs very efficiently with little or no maintenance.
• Constructed wetlands: Having talked of strategies to reuse greywater, we must also take note that the nutrient-rich greywater is not advisable to be stored for longer periods to avoid stinking and settling of nutrients to the base. Constructed wetlands are a safe way to clean greywater allowing it to be stored for longer periods. The wetlands absorb nutrients and filter particles from greywater also making it fit for drip irrigation systems. In case greywater is to be dumped later, the wetlands ensure the safety of the water bodies receiving it.

Since it is a process based on innovation there is always scope for us to find out more ways to reuse and recycle greywater. It is important that we remain careful at all points while carrying out this process because of the risks involved. Neither can extra nutrients be allowed to seep into the soil, nor can we run the risk of storing greywater resulting in poor hygiene. Now let us put these systems into action in order to achieve a more eco-friendly and responsible society.