It’s becoming more and more important to do all we can for the planet and to act and work in as eco-friendly a way as possible. In some cases, that can be harder to do than others, or at least harder to come up with ways to do it, but the good news is that if you want to ensure the plumbing work you do or the plumbing around your own home is eco-friendly, there are lots of options. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more.
Upgrade To Low-Flow Fixtures
One of the biggest problems when it comes to water and the environment is just how much we tend to waste on a daily basis. Most of the time, we won’t even realize we’re doing it – we’ll leave a tap running for too long, we’ll have a bath rather than a shower, we’ll use our washing machine with just one or two items in it, and so on. It’s not that we’re being intentionally disruptive; it’s just that we don’t think about saving water on a regular basis (possibly because we’re so used to being able to use it whenever we want).
Although the best thing to do is to educate yourself and the rest of your household about how to save water, something that will help in the meantime and, if you do forget in the future, is upgrading to low-flow fixtures. These include taps, toilets, and showers, and they use a lot less water than traditional fixtures. It’s a small change, but it can make a big difference.
Rainwater Harvesting
If you live somewhere that has a lot of rain, why not make use of it? Rather than allow all that precious water to sink into the ground, you can actually have a plumbing system that uses rainwater (in part, at least – there may not be enough to use it exclusively, plus it’s not ideal for drinking water) and saves any wastage (not to mention the fact that you’ll be using less water yourself as a result).
As we’ve said, rainwater can’t be used for everything in your home, but it can be perfect for flushing toilets or keeping your backyard watered, and investing in some rainwater tanks and a new plumbing system to use them could be a great option if you want to be more eco-friendly.
Use Sustainable Materials
If you want or need to upgrade your plumbing system and you also want (and need) to be eco-friendly, make sure you pay attention to the materials you’re using – they need to be sustainable ones because that’s what’s going to make your plumbing system so much better for the environment.
In fact, when you start shopping around, you might even be able to find recycled materials, which is a fantastic option. Otherwise, you can choose things like copper, stainless steel, and PEX, as they’re all great eco-friendly choices as well. Of course, you don’t have to rip everything out and start fresh with sustainable materials right now (that’s actually a waste if there’s no immediate need), but keep the idea in mind for when the time to replace pipes and other elements comes.
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