Challenge 7 - Water

Although we live on an island surrounded by water, the UK has less available water per person than most other European countries.

Take a Minute

• Make sure that you don't leave taps running when washing the dishes. A running tap uses around 6 litres of water per minute
• Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl of water rather than under a running tap
• If you have an older toilet (fitted before 2000, without a dual flush option) put a Hippo bag or Save-a- Flush bag in the cistern. Water companies often give these away for free and using one will save you over a litre of water every time you flush

Take a Day

• Use a bucket of water to wash your car rather than the hosepipe. This will save you on average 124 litres of water (based on replacing 10 minutes hosepipe using 16 litres of water per min with three bucket fulls of water – 3 x 12 = 36 litres)
• Install a water butt in the garden and use rainwater for watering the plants or washing the car. This will save water, money, and will help you during hosepipe bans!
• Fix any dripping taps. A dripping tap can waste about 15 litres of water a day. That’s 5 500 litres per year!

Take a Month

• If you're thinking of buying a new dishwasher or washing machine, look out for a water efficient one. Choosing the right machine can make a huge difference to both your energy bills and your water usage
• Fit a shower flow regulator. It will save about 4 litres of water per minute and give you a better quality shower
• Insulate exposed pipes to keep hot water hot and cold water cold! This will help you to save 6 litres per minute waiting for the tap to run hot, or cold

Information and Contacts

• Severn Trent Water - Install a water meter, report a leak and more. Severn Trent Water customers can order a free water saving pack!
• Environment Agency offers advice on water efficient appliances and WCs, rainwater reuse and more.
• Even Products Ltd specialises in the supply of irrigation and water recycling systems including water storage, filtration and distribution.
• GettingGreener - Pershore based suppliers of rainwater butts, tanks and accessories.
• Worcestershire County Council & Herefordshire Council has teamed up with evengreener.com to offer residents water butts at bargain prices!

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