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5 Ways to Integrate Your Plumbing System Into a Low-Waste Lifestyle

Admin • Jul 02, 2019
Bidet in Bathroom
A low-waste lifestyle means not only conserving water, but also conserving energy, reusing and repurposing items, and much more. Here are a few ways you can incorporate your plumbing system into your low-waste lifestyle.

1. Install a Bidet

A bidet can help lower waste in so many ways. First of all, it reduces or even eliminates the use of toilet paper. This is a huge issue in America today; about 84 million rolls of toilet paper are produced per day throughout the world, and Americans use about 50 pounds per person each year. Most of this toilet paper is still coming from virgin wood pulp (cutting down forests).  

2. Choose Recycled-Content Products

When you're shopping for low-flow fixtures, one more feature to look for is whether or not they're made of recycled materials. It's true the features will still take energy to produce, manufacture, and ship (unless you shop for them at a local ReStore), but using recycled materials is one way to help cut down on waste.

3. Reuse Your Water

Water use is another area of life where Americans tend to be hugely wasteful. This means that there are likely many places you personally can cut down on water usage in your own life. But even once you've stopped wasting water, you can still use even less if you reclaim some of the water you've already used.

Lightly used water, also known as graywater, is a completely viable option. You can quite easily use it for purposes such as flushing the toilet and watering your lawn. 

Your plumber can help you set up easy graywater diverting systems, such as one that diverts handwashing water from the bathroom sink to the toilet tank. Another common one is diverting water from washing clothes to a large barrel where it can be used to irrigate your lawn or garden. Just check local regulations for any limitations on graywater use.

4. Install a Shower Loop

A shower loop is a modern design innovation that allows you to refilter and reheat the water you're using in the shower so that it doesn't go down the drain until your shower is over. So no matter how long your shower is, you'll only use ten liters of water (just over two and a half gallons).

If you want to reduce water use even more, you can reuse the water afterwards by redirecting it to your graywater system. A shower loop requires a considerable amount of plumbing work, so you'll want to have your plumber do the installation for you.

5. Choose a Solar Water Heater

Want to make your shower totally zero waste? Try using solar power to heat the water. A solar hot water heater system can be more space-efficient than solar panels. And although it can't power your whole home (like solar panels can), it can help you save a significant amount on your energy bills each month.

Several types of solar water heaters exist, so you can choose the best one for you based on circumstances such as where you live. A direct circulation system pumps water to the roof so it can absorb the sun's heat directly. For colder climates, an indirect circulation model works best - it facilitates circulation for heat transfer liquids so they won't freeze.

In addition to these two active types of solar water heating, you can also consider a passive solar water heating system such as a thermosyphon system or an integral collector-storage passive system. Or, of course, you could simply install a couple of solar panels and connect them to your water heater. Talk to your plumber about which option is best for you.

These are just a few of the ways you can modify your plumbing system and water usage to go along with a low-wast or zero-waste lifestyle. For more information on how we can help you with your low-waste plumbing needs, get in touch with Souza & Viviani Plumbing Co. today.
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