Toilets: A Better Approach to Water Conservation
Being green is one of those things we read about in
magazines or see on TV, but we rarely take the time to incorporate
something like better conservation of water resources into our own
lives. With an abundance of advertising for eco-friendly low-flow
toilets, dual-flush toilets, or composting toilets, we're left to wonder
what it all means anyway. You might recycle, plant a garden, or buy
earth-friendly products, and, while this is helpful, there are more
measures you can take to help the environment that have double or even
triple the impact. Say you're ready to invest in a new toilet. Your old
one is cracked, leaking, or just not working properly, and you decide to
buy a replacement after searching around for the best price. While a
standard, water-guzzling toilet might be more economical initially,
consider this - conservation of water resources is spreading to this
most frequently used of bathroom fixtures.
Unfortunately, conservation of water is not discussed frequently enough,
but here are some facts on the matter - 28% of all water usage in the
home stems from toilets (1), and 6.8 million gallons of water are
flushed down the toilet worldwide on a daily basis (2). With such
frightening statistics, it's no wonder that some states and counties in
the U.S. are now making dual-flush or low-flow toilets mandatory. In an
effort to encourage the purchase of green toilets, the government has
established regulations (acknowledging the continued resource
conservation and water technology efforts of major plumbing
manufacturers) that have made water-efficient dual-flush or low-flow
toilets and bath fixtures more affordable and readily available to the
public.
A History of Efficiency: Composting and Low-Flow Toilets
While some sources consider the 1970s as the turning point of water
efficient toilets, there is one green method that is not often included.
The composting toilet, in its most rudimentary form, has been around for
thousands of years; however, the first commercially designed model was
made for the Scandinavian market in the 1960s (3). While the U.S. has
been relatively slow to catch on to this approach to the conservation of
water resources, its neighbor to the north, Canada, has adopted the idea
almost as its own and is now one of the largest manufacturers of the
composting toilet. The idea of a composting toilet sounds rather
unappealing but consider this - if a community decided to come together
and install a composting toilet in every house, place of work, or
community building, there would be no sewage charges, sewage pipe
installations, or maintenance costs. The cost of water would
subsequently become quite insignificant (4).
Aside from the composting toilet, however, the new low-flow toilets
models are now entering their third, fourth, or even fifth generations.
In the early days of low-flow toilets, consumers were left unimpressed
by their flushing abilities, but manufacturers have now brought the
production of low-flow toilets to a near art form. According to one
source, Americans save nearly $11.3 million everyday on their water
bills due to low-flow toilets (5). Before the 1970s, nobody really cared
about the conservation of water, and the only thing that shook the
country into a state of reality were the massive droughts beginning a
decade before. It was common in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s for water
consumption in toilets to reach up to twelve gallons per flush (6).
Consider now that the norm is somewhere between one to 3.5 gallons per
flush, and then those old statistics are cause for alarm.
Conservation and Water Technologies Efforts in Our Time
With heightened efforts pushing for more effective conservation of
water, more consumers are seeing the necessity for green toilets,
whether they are low-flush toilets which use six liters of water,
dual-flush which uses three to six liters, or composting. The ability to
conserve water, save the planet's resources, and eliminate pollution
should be a worldwide goal. While eco-friendly dual-flush and low-flow
toilets tend to have a higher price tag, the economic benefits pay off
in the long run - both your sewer and water costs are reduced, and you
might even have a little peace of mind.
More intuitive water efficient toilets are on the rise, however, that
use 0.9, 1.28, and 1.6 gallons per flush. Better advocacy through
government organizations has taken efforts for resource conservation and
water technologies to a new level. For example, the Environmental
Protection Agency has created a new WaterSense labeling program that
denotes High Efficiency Toilets and High Efficiency Faucets as well as
the latest bathroom product innovations - High Efficiency Showerheads
and Urinals. The advantage of this governmental labeling helps consumers
easily identify products that are earth-friendly and have passed strict
performance tests as well.
A better approach to conservation of water resources is important - to
our communities, our planet, and ourselves. With a current rise in
droughts worldwide, there should be more stringent standards and better
education on the topic. So, why isn't this information readily
available? Earth-friendly dual-flush and low-flow toilets are not as
cheap as their traditional counterparts, and while companies are doing
all they can to reduce costs, it may be some time before this option is
possible. Think about it this way however - your long-term costs will be
significantly lower. More importantly, though, easy-to-use products with
improved water technologies are helping American consumers embrace water
conservation efforts and, in turn, are making them an integral part of
their daily lives.
About the author
Gunnar Baldwin is a Water Efficiency Specialist at TOTO USA Inc., joining the company in 1990. Baldwin, who specializes in water efficiency and conservation solutions, has been instrumental in creating environmentally-friendly luxury faucets, flush valves, and other bath fixtures