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Flush less often to simply and directly reduce water consumption without compromising hygiene.

How to flush less often

Clogging issues: The introduction of low-flow and high efficiency toilets (HETs) brought up questions about whether the water per flush is sufficient to move solid waste through pipelines into the municipal solid waste plant. A collaborative study completed in 2004 concluded that "flushing with as little as one gallon provides sufficient water in residential and commercial applications to move the waste from the fixtures to the sewer."[1] If you have a low-flow toilet or HET, you may need to experiment with how much toilet paper each flush can effectively handle to see if flushing less is a workable option for you.

Know your gpf: If your toilet dates from before 1992, it likely uses between 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush (gpf).[2] Low-flow toilets use 1.6, while HETs use only 1.3 gpf. In other words, one flush of an old toilet is worth 3 to 5 flushes of a new model. You can use this estimate as a guideline: try to flush 3-5 times less often.

Use less toilet paper: When you flush less often, each press of the flusher is responsible for more waste (and hence more toilet paper), increasing the risk of a clog. Be aware of how much toilet paper each flush can handle, and use this opportunity to simultaneously reduce your toilet paper consumption.

Discuss the "yuck" factor: It's crucial to communicate with members of your household about the concept of flushing less, which can be summed up neatly in the catchy phrase: "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down." For many, the benefits are enough to override any concerns about cleanliness and hygiene. However, if even one family member or roommate isn't on board with the idea and flushes every time they see floating toilet paper, your conservation efforts aren't likely to work as well. Call a house meeting to explain why flushing less is so important. You may want to start slow. For example, begin by flushing after every other visit to the bathroom or cutting down on flushing only at night. If you can't reach consensus, try some other green toilet tips.

Flushing less often helps you go green because…

• it conserves water.
• it conserves energy.

The average person flushes his/her home toilet 3-4 times a day.[3] In an average household of 3.2 people, a seven gpf toilet uses 32,700 gallons of water a year. Similarly, a five gpf toilet uses 23,400 gallons and a 3.5-gpf toilet uses 16,400 gallons annually in the same household.[4]

Americans use 5.8 billion gallons of water to flush toilet waste daily.[5] About three-quarters of indoor home water consumption takes place in the bathroom, and the toilet is responsible for about 28 percent of total home water use.[6] Excessive water use can be particularly damaging if plumbing is connected to a septic system. Overloading the system with waste water reduces the soil's capacity to absorb treated water and requires that the septic tank be emptied more often, thereby increasing maintenance costs.[7]

Conserving water also means conserving energy. That's because water treatment and transport consumes a considerable amount energy-wise. According to the EPA, public water-supply and treatment facilities in the US use about 50 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. In these terms, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as lighting a 60-watt light bulb for 14 hours.[8]

Controversies

Some individuals may be automatically adverse to this suggestion, as the idea can be something to get used to. There may be some concern with "splashing"--someone else's urine splashing you from the toilet is understandably less than desirable. It may even be possible to contract a urinary tract infection in this way.[9] If splashing can be avoided, opponents might be able to get used to this idea. The principle is likely least controversial if you live alone.

External links

• Morris County Water Wheel
• MSD: What Happens When You Flush?
• Use Your Water Bill For Good: Evaluate Household Water Use