Saving
Water Tips
Saving Water in The Business
Quick Tips - for saving in the business
We've compiled a list of handy water saving tips to help you cut costs and encourage your staff to make the most of your business's water.
- Lever or mixer taps (with a single lever or knob) let you find the right water temperature quickly. This means staff won't waste water trying to get the balance right.
- When cleaning, get staff to use a bucket to wash and rinse where possible, instead of running the taps or hose.
- Checking for leaks in taps, pipes and hoses is an easy way to reduce water wastage. Remember, one leaking tap can waste more than 2,000 litres a month!
- Leaking taps can waste up to 200 litres of water each day. To reduce leaks, turn your taps off lightly and replace washers as soon as they begin to leak.
- Don't forget - there are lots of clever things you can do to save water in your business's garden too.
- Encourage staff to wait until they have a full load in the dishwasher before using it. This saves water and energy, and reduces the amount of detergent entering the sewer system.
- Washing fruit and vegies in a half filled sink instead of under running water is a great way to cut back on water wastage.
- Rinsing your dishes in a plugged sink or bowl rather than under a running tap saves water and is just as easy and effective.
- What you put down the drain can cause blockages and pollute our environment. Remember to regularly clean the lint filter on washing machines, and use a sink strainer when you pull the plug out of tubs.
- Provide incentives for staff to save water by linking water conservation to staff performance reviews.
- Use visual tools like charts and graphs to highlight water savings to employees.
- Mention water conservation plans and progress in staff meetings.
- Use communication tools like bulletins, newsletters and emails to send staff water saving ideas, announcements, progress reports and news of special achievements.
- Include water conservation policies and procedures in staff training programs.
- Establish an ideas box to encourage employees to suggest ways to save water.
- Encourage your staff to adopt water saving practices.
- Think about installing your own wastewater treatment system to recycle water and cut down on water bills.
- AAA-rated low flow taps or tap aerators are more efficient than ordinary taps and reduce splashing.
- Think about installing dual-flush toilets. They use half as much water as conventional models.
Conserving Water
Water is a precious resource that needs to be conserved today and in the future.
Water conservation is also important in reducing wastewater discharges to rivers and the ocean.
Under our Operating Licence, Sydney Water is responsible for reducing the amount of water it draws from all sources (eg. dams). Between 1991 and 2005, Sydney Water aims to reduce water consumption by 25 per cent, rising to a 35 per cent reduction by 2011.
Since 1990, water consumption has reduced by 18 per cent. With your help we are aiming to reduce water use by a further 17 per cent over the next ten years.
Water conservation protects the environment through:
- less water being drawn from inland waterways
- less wastewater being treated and discharged into our waterways
- reduced greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere
- postponing the need to build a new dam.
Recycling And Reuse In Action
Greater Sydney has 14 large scale recycled water schemes that recycle around 15 billion litres of treated wastewater each year across greater Sydney, including:
- Australia's largest water recycling scheme in Wollongong
- Australia's largest residential recycled water scheme
- a Biosolids Strategy that is one of the most successful in the world
- many more recycling projects planned and under construction.
A major new recycling project will provide recycled water via dual reticulation to all 160,000 new homes in western Sydney's new suburbs, as well as for agriculture, industry and environmental river flows.
In built-up areas of Sydney, new localised recycling schemes are being pursued that will employ treated wastewater, sewer mining and stormwater harvesting.
To help households and schools save precious drinking water through reuse, Sydney Water also offers a rebate for buying a rainwater tank.
What is water reuse and recycling?
Reuse is about using water that would otherwise be wasted - wastewater, stormwater, rainwater, and greywater - instead of using fresh drinking water.
Recycling water, a subset of reuse, involves going a step further to treat wastewater or stormwater to a high standard for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.
What are biosolids?
Biosolids are the nutrient rich organic material obtained from treating wastewater. Approximately 185,000 tonnes of biosolids are produced annually by Sydney Water, which are beneficially used in agriculture, composting and land rehabilitation.
Staff Awareness
Raising staff awareness is the most cost effective and sustainable way to save water at your workplace.
Our communication materials can help you encourage your staff to save water at work and at home.
Simple ideas to help you save water at work include:
- establishing an ideas box to encourage employees to suggest ways to save water
- incorporating water conservation policies and procedures into employee training programs
- using communication tools like bulletins, newsletters and emails to send ideas, announcements, progress reports and news of special achievements
- communicating water conservation plans and progress in staff meetings
- using visual tools like charts and graphs to highlight savings
- providing incentives by linking water conservation measures to staff performance reviews.
Sourced from the Sydney Water Website – www.sydneywater.com.au
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