Episode: VIC Waterwise Special ? Our Changing Climate
Presenter: Neville Passmore

Waste water in the home is an obvious resource as we look forward to a drier and hotter future. There are two forms - grey water comes from the kitchen sink, showers and laundry while black water which comes from toilets.

Grey water is the form that can most readily be put to good use in the home garden. It is well worth getting professional advice on effective recycling treatment here to avoid exposing your family and pets to health risks and damaging your soil.

Stuart McQuire?s sustainable home in West Brunswick uses this recycled water to flush toilets and it is the main source of water for the permaculture style productive garden.

The grey water is gravity fed through a lint and hair filter into an underground tank which is about a cubic metre in size where a full on biological digester breaks down the organic matter. The microbes need oxygen to work and that is why there is a small fountain which does the oxygenation.

From there the partially treated water passes through a particle filter and then through a UV disinfection system before going into storage in large bladders for storage under the house.

The golden rule of recycled water is to apply it to the soil rather than foliage and fruit. In the garden it is used to water a small orchard of fruiting trees such as figs, almonds, plums apricots, avocado and peach

Vegetables are also irrigated from this source. Ideally use treated water on fruiting types such as tomatoes and chillies. It is a good idea to rinse all vegetables in fresh water, as you would do with shop bought produce, before eating.

Reclaimed water is of great value for ornamental gardens and the beautiful Lorraine Lee rose loves water from this source.

When buying laundry detergent choose the liquid types in preference to the powders as these have less salt and if possible go for low phosphate.

Recycled water makes up a third of the water used in this sustainable house and represents a major saving in consumption

It is a great example of how any home can be retrofitted with a recycling system that saves lots of precious water.

Featured Location

The McQuire Sustainable House
www.greenmakeover.com.au