Flushing Out Alternative Toilets

Hey Mr. Green,

There are a lot of folks who live outside urban areas and have private wells and septic systems. How green are these?  Doesn't this essentially recycle the water we consume and flush?

--J. Lennon in Wake Forest, North Carolina

More than 20 percent of the country's households use septic systems. They are the basic choice where there is no municipal sewage system, although I suppose a composting toilet is the ultimate green sewer machine (some are even designed to capture the methane from the waste to burn in stoves). To be on the cutting edge of sludge, you can explore various models on the internet.

Of course, septic tanks have to be pumped out periodically and should be set up to avoid the risks of health problems or water pollution. But if they’re properly designed and installed, I don't see a problem. Since some of the tanks’ water seeps back into the ground, they actually do recycle. For a wealth of information, visit the EPA's website. Your tax dollars at work!

Whatever system you're on, flush minimally so as not to waste water. In my long-ago farm childhood, we had an old outdoor toilet. It was a used model, its wooden walls laced with graffiti so vivid that it jump-started my literary career. When we finally obtained the long-anticipated indoor alternative, my father enforced minimal flushing because of his concern that the well would go dry. With water, as with everything else, the old-timers practiced reduce, reuse, and recycle long before that phrase became an axiom.

Other water-conservation tools that could be used, whether you live in the middle of nowhere or the middle of Manhattan, are: low-flow toilets, restricted-flow showerheads, aerator screens on faucets, smaller lawns and minimal lawn watering, drip irrigation, use of native plants instead of thirsty exotics, and washing machines and dishwashers run with full loads only. (And yes, a modern dishwasher uses a lot less water than a typical hand-washing process.) It goes without saying that you should make sure no faucets leak.

Some people even collect rainwater and use "gray water" (from showers and laundry) on their gardens. But if you attempt these measures, make sure there aren't toxic materials on your roof or in gutters that would contaminate the water – and that the gray water is safe for your plants.

Comments

[pegasusfaucets]

There have been some amazing advances in waterless toilet systems, and I would encourage all green advocates to (re)-examine them...especially now when there are so many ethical (and tax) incentives to do so. You're no longer fixed with sticking a brick in the back of the tank to save water! Nice tip on the EPA website; I also found that to be a great place to start. Retailers who seem to also be getting on the green bandwagon are two of my favorites: Ikea and Home Depot.

[Macus Trade]

Dual Flush are viable option saving thousands of gallons of water per year.

A dual flush toilet is simply a toilet with two different ways to flush it. The full flush uses 1.6 gallon per flush and that is for solid waste. The half flush uses 0.8 gallons per flush and it is for liquid waste.
Our dual flush toilets have two silver round buttons on the top of the basin(the back of the toilet which holds the water). The first button is for the full flush and the other is for the half flush. You just press one for the desired outcome.

[Ellen Bell]

Composting toilets have improved a lot in the last decade. Not only are they odorless (seriously, they really are!) but they're also easy to install and come in many options (i.e. not all of them are waterless, you can buy a low flush system, too). It's a great way to save a ton of money and really minimize your ecological footprint on the world.