Greywater is usually mostly unseen in many households and is seen as just plain gross and should be disposed, straight to the dump. But what exactly is greywater and how does it differ from blackwater? Greywater makes up around 60-80% of the used water in one’s household and is any amount of water that was used for non-potable uses such as showering for both pets and humans, washing the dishes and laundry, cleaning the floors, etc. but has not come in contact with fecal matter. Blackwater is contaminated with fecal matter and the toilet is where it all lies while greywater comes from everything else (unless you make a sick accident).
Rainwater systems use rainwater to flush toilets and do laundry but greywater is more readily available obviously. Public establishments would more likely have a greywater system wherein greywater is stored in reservoirs and is filtered lightly for non-drinking purposes such as plant food (oh yes they love this stuff) and some greywater systems pass through tubings that have a timer for when to water the plants. This of course is not only expensive and incredibly laborious for some but storing contaminated water needs a lot of time for planning because it is very unsanitary when not checked on regularly by a maintenance crew or guy. But the point is awareness of how much greywater we expel into the environment is good because we can save so much money on bills, it can be nearly halved with such filters and with non-private buildings it could save up to around 30%. Greywater filters need a lot of help in a private household but opting for easier alternatives are not bad. It is more of a rich person thing to own one because the upkeep can be quite costly every year that is why larger establishments like hotels have their money’s worth for it. But hey life is all about hustling and if you can befriend a good engineer and some maintenance guys it could be less expensive. Remember to find a competent crew of plumbers and engineers.
It is better to get a greywater system outside instead of pumping it back to the building which has obvious risks. Establishments and homes that use these water systems not only can potentially half their water bills but save 16-40 percent drinking water as well. You also put less strain on the environment as you do not contribute to submitting high amounts of water to water filter plants that expend on a lot of energy and chemical treatment. You also do not contribute to busting septic tanks and dams as much. A good water filtration and recycling system going mainstream would save a lot of lives not only wallets, the amount of water that could be saved when combined with avoiding plastic (or reusing it as much as possible) and relying more on organic products reduces
the waste and toxins that will take long for us to reverse, but the best time to start is now.
