Forgive my potty mouth for this post, but it simply must be talked about! According to some reports, the average household uses 185-291 gallons of water per day. On average, 60% of a family's water bill goes down the drain in the toilet and the shower, 20% in the laundry and 20% in other indoor areas like the kitchen. WOWZA! 60% of our water flushed down! The ideal solution would be a greywater system. Unfortunately, that is not in the budget yet. Anyways, I digress…
We needed to replace our toilet recently, and went on a search for an affordable, environmental choice for our family. We decided on an American Standard Toilet in a Box from Home Depot that only flushed 1.6gpf. It was actually one of the most cost-effective toilets in the place, it looks great, it’s not dinky, and saves water! I was excited-weird! We have installed it, and 2 months have passed. Let me tell you, our water use has gone down 40%! I had no idea my other toilet was such a waster! It looked fine, but was costing us $100 more/yr to flush! In one year, we will have paid for our new toilet and will continue to save after that.
I think that a toilet is worth replacing if your current one is not as efficient. My big question is always, what to do with the old when you replace it with the new. As far as toilets are concerned, call your local waste disposal company, and inquire about recycling facilities. Toilet recycling facilities typically crush the porcelain and use it to make concrete for roads or sidewalks. In fact, toilet porcelain was collected to provide homes for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. For more info on disposal, take a look at H2ouse.org. Other toilet options include dual flush toilets and hybrid toilets. These involve separating the urine from the feces, and using less water for the urine, cutting down on water use even more. Check your toilet every few months for leaks and efficiency.
We needed to replace our toilet recently, and went on a search for an affordable, environmental choice for our family. We decided on an American Standard Toilet in a Box from Home Depot that only flushed 1.6gpf. It was actually one of the most cost-effective toilets in the place, it looks great, it’s not dinky, and saves water! I was excited-weird! We have installed it, and 2 months have passed. Let me tell you, our water use has gone down 40%! I had no idea my other toilet was such a waster! It looked fine, but was costing us $100 more/yr to flush! In one year, we will have paid for our new toilet and will continue to save after that.
I think that a toilet is worth replacing if your current one is not as efficient. My big question is always, what to do with the old when you replace it with the new. As far as toilets are concerned, call your local waste disposal company, and inquire about recycling facilities. Toilet recycling facilities typically crush the porcelain and use it to make concrete for roads or sidewalks. In fact, toilet porcelain was collected to provide homes for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. For more info on disposal, take a look at H2ouse.org. Other toilet options include dual flush toilets and hybrid toilets. These involve separating the urine from the feces, and using less water for the urine, cutting down on water use even more. Check your toilet every few months for leaks and efficiency.
