Grey water - Should we be recycling our grey water in Whanganui?
A 2007 Kapiti Coast study found that of all the water consumed in the home , 50-60% was used for washing in the laundry and bathroom. This equates to 106,000 litres of water per year in a typical home. Recycling grey water for garden irrigation could reduce both the demands for mains water and waste water treatment. Grey water is the name given to the waste water that we generate when we bathe, shower or do the laundry. This is very different from black water or sewage that flows from our toilets. For a time all waste water in Whanganui was discharged directly into the Awa. Now, after separation of the storm water, the waste water generated in the city is processed through the Airport Road waste treatment plant (or soon will be again) and discharged into the ocean, 1.8km offshore Add caption One of the things that struck us as a learning group was why do we mix our toilet waste with our bath water and increase the amount of black waste water that has t