Greywater recycling – some facts

Greywater recycling combined with rain water tanks can save substantial amounts of water; this article outlines some greywater facts. It must be remembered that greywater must not be stored for more than 24 hours as potentially harmful microorganisms could multiply to dangerous levels. High quality polyethylene (‘plastic’) water tanks or drums are usually recommended for greywater systems as they do not rust, corrode or react with chemicals and they are cost-effective.

Grey water can replace drinking water for irrigating gardens or lawns and, if treated appropriately, it can be used in toilets and washing machines.

By using greywater for watering gardens and lawns, a household has the potential to save between 50,000 and 100,000 litres of drinking water a year.

What is grey water?

Greywater is the wastewater from your shower, bath, spa, hand basins, laundry tub, washing machine, dishwasher and kitchen sink. It doesn’t include water from toilets, urinals or bidets. Used appropriately, you can water your garden with grey water and save up to hundreds of litres of fresh water each day.

Benefits of using grey water

Reusing greywater provides a number of benefits including:

• Reducing your potable water consumption
• Reducing the amount of sewage discharged to the ocean or rivers
• Reducing your water bills
• A healthier garden, especially during drought periods.

Disadvantages of using grey water

The disadvantages of greywater reuse may include:

• The potential for pollution and undesirable health and environmental effects if the greywater is not reused correctly
• Initial cost of a greywater system and plumbing requirements
• Ongoing maintenance.

Health & Safety

All forms of household wastewater have the potential to be infectious to human health and pollute the environment. However, when managed properly and carefully using appropriate processes wastewater can be converted into a valuable resource that can be reused.

It is very important to follow official guidelines when installing greywater devices and systems to ensure the health and safety of your household and community is protected.

Ways to re-use grey water

There are three ways of reusing greywater:

• Manual bucketing – small quantities of greywater are captured in a bucket for re-use outside on gardens or lawns. No council approval required.
• Diversion – greywater diversion devices redirect greywater for use outside the home on gardens or lawns using sub-surface irrigation (sometimes temporary storage in water drums or water tanks). No council approval required under certain conditions. Needs a plumber to install.
• Treatment – greywater treatment systems for reuse inside the home (e.g. toilet flushing, washing machine) as well as outside on gardens or lawns. Council approval is required. Needs a plumber to install.

Source: NSW Government

When choosing a poly tank for a greywater system, rainwater harvesting system or any other liquid storage purpose, ensure that the tank is made using the rotational moulding process (‘roto molding’) so that there are no seams to potentially crack or split (inferior plastic tanks are made in two-piece moulds; the seams are usually clearly visible). JoJo Tanks in South Africa use rotational moulding to produce a very high quality tank that is also certified for storing potable water. Click on the links below to view the range of JoJo Tanks products available throughout South Africa.

JoJo Tanks South Africa offer a wide range of products such as plastic water tanks and chemical tanks to suit every household, business or agricultural need, including silo tanks and silo tank stands as well as other high quality JoJo Tanks products.  See JoJo Tanks’ VERTICAL TANKS, HORIZONTAL TANKS (transporter tanks), STEEL TANK STANDS and OTHER JOJO PRODUCTS and see JoJo Tanks’ NEW 6000 LITRE UNDERGROUND TANKS. Also see our FAQ and WATER TANK PRICES.