Using A Low Flush Toilet Doesn't Save Very Much Water

Using A Low Flush Toilet Doesn't Save Very Much Water

The statement in the title certainly seems to be not true at first glance, doesn't it? After all, the makers of eco toilets are constantly telling us that their new improved toilets save lots of water. But there are three reasons why the statement is actually true.

1) When the low flush toilet first became popular in 1994, it was because of a largely misguided law that mandated their use. At this stage the technology had not been sufficiently developed, and it turned out that quite frequently, solid waste could not be flushed out in a single try. It sometimes took more than one flush. Since that time, however, numerous changes have been made. So this reason is actually no longer applicable, unless you're speaking of an older toilet.

2) Another sort of trivial reason deals with water recycling. In most areas of the country, liquid waste is processed, and dumped into a stream, which eventually empties into the ocean. But in some arid regions, such as central California, the treated waste water is not thrown out - it's used over again. So no matter how many gallons of water is used for flushing, it's all recycled, so a low flush toilet doesn't help save water at all!

3) Now we get to the main reason. In many instances, utilizing a low flush toilet really does save water. However the amount that it saves per person per year, when weighed against the total amount consumed per person each year, is quite trivial.

So when you see a statement like, "making use of a no flush toilet would help save the average person 30 gallons of water per day", it's terribly inaccurate. It sounds like a significant amount of water. But it does not say how much water the typical person uses ALTOGETHER every day - including indirect uses.

As one example of an indirect use, the Water Education Foundation discovered that it takes about 30 gallons of water to produce a quarter-ounce serving of corn. See? 30 gallons per person per day isn't very much at all!

So please, I don't want to hear any more about eco toilets saving the planet by saving our precious water. They do indeed save water, but it's only a "drop in the bucket" when compared with other water usage.

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