Throne of Thrones
The toilet is the crown jewel in the out of sight/out of mind hall of fame. We flush and never look back.
Problem is, we need to start seeing what we’re doing. With up to 7 gallons of water being used per flush, nearly one-third of all in-home water is allocated for no other purpose than just to get our business out of the way.
As with many things, solutions lie on both the hardware and lifestyle sides.
Gallons Per Flush (GPF) is the all important factor -- that is, the number of gallons that every flush requires. Switching to a low-flush toilet decreases your GPF anywhere from 7 (old model toilets) to 1.28 (new low-flow ones). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that low-flush toilets save your average family of four about 13,000 gallons of water every year and some $200.
If all the outdated toilets in the U.S. became low-flush models, some 360 billion gallons of water would be saved every year.
In the past, you may have thought of low-flush toilets as ineffective, noisy and inconvenient. And, there may have been some truth to this. But, with advances in technology, they now work just as effectively as their inefficient counterparts, without all the needless waste.
When shopping for a low-flush toilet, only purchase models certified by the EPA with a “WaterSense” label; these have been tested for efficiency, function and quality.
Then there’s a lifestyle choice you can make. Given the high water cost associated with flushing, an option readily at hand is simply to flush less. It may seem gross, but does number one really warrant a flush? Depleting Earth’s clean water supply is a whole lot grosser than that.
While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about toilet paper.
It’s an “essential” feature of the American bathroom experience, but also comes at an enormous resource cost. Almost 160 million pounds of cardboard toilet paper tubes end up in landfills each year in America. We use so much TP that it alone accounts for almost 10% of deforestation nationwide. (Read this paragraph again to get the impact.)
A single roll of toilet paper requires 37 gallons of water to produce, and one tree produces only some 200 rolls (the amount an average family consumes annually). Granted, most of these trees are “responsibly” sourced at tree farms, but those farms take up a lot of space and severely disrupt local ecosystems.
But wait, there’s more.
Aside from trees, companies use hundreds of thousands of tons of chlorine to bleach the paper white. Chlorine bleach releases toxins into land, water and air that linger for many years. These have even acquired the ever so nefarious title of “persistent organic pollutants.”
Persistent organic pollutants cause serious health issues in both humans and animals including (but not limited to) cancer and endocrine issues. Oh, and I almost forgot. Fossil fuels transport toilet paper all over the country and plastic wraps it up before sale.
The average person spends upwards of $50 a year on this tissue (around 50 rolls), adding up to $200 a year for a family of four. While toilet-paper made from recycled tissue does exist, this is often more expensive, less comfortable and still not sustainable or environmentally friendly -- despite the green label.
While it may seem strange and oddly “European,” consider a bidet. They offer a less expensive, more eco-friendly and more comfortable clean than any toilet paper on the market. Even colo-rectal doctors recommend bidets as a healthier way of cleaning up after using the bathroom.
Today, bidets come in all sizes and shapes. They can be as inexpensive as $30 and take no more than five minutes to install. While toilet paper may still be required to dry after use, a bidet will wash away any excess and make you happier, healthier, and a bit wealthier for the money you’ll save.
Learn more on ways to save water and money with LADWP.
Learn more about the assumptions behind Magenta House water and power savings calculations.
DETAILS
Upgrade: Low-flow toilet
Goal: Reduce the flow in old toilets, or replace them with 1.28 GPF (Gallons Per Flush) models.
Potential Savings*: 13,000 gallons of water/yr.
Skill level: ★☆☆
SAVINGS*
The average home savings calculation is based on the usage needs of a family of four and includes the following assumptions:
the home is switching from old toilet models using 3 GPF to new 1.28 GPF models, and
the household flushes a total of 20 times per day.
New toilet costs vary from $250-$1,300, depending on type and labor.
Yearly water savings may add up to some 13,000 gallons.
