On 22 April, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the biggest environmental event on the planet, involving about a billion people all around the world every year.
It was set up in 1970 by American senator Gaylord Nelson, aiming to shine the spotlight on the need to safeguard the planet and preserve its natural resources. Every one of us can play our part to protect nature with a few little tricks. In this news section, we’ll give you a few suggestions on how to avoid wasting water at home.
Only start the washing machine when it’s full. A good habit to get into to reduce your water and electricity consumption is to only start the washing machine when you’ve got enough laundry to almost completely fill the whole drum (but don’t overfill it, otherwise it might not wash everything properly).
It’s better to use a basin to wash your dishes. Put a basin with water and washing-up liquid next to your sink where you can scrub the dishes with a sponge and only use running water to rinse them off. If you use a dishwasher, only start it once it’s full.
Have a shower instead of a bath. A 5-minute shower uses about 25 litres of water, while a bath needs at least 80 litres. Further reduce your water consumption by installing a flow restrictor: you’ll save money on your bill and you’ll help the planet.
Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. A very common bad habit is to brush your teeth while leaving the tap on. Once you’ve wet your toothbrush, turn the tap off and only turn it back on again when you need to rinse. You’ll save up to 6 litres of water each time.
Wash vegetables by leaving them to soak. One effective way to wash vegetables and at the same time reduce your water consumption is to put them in a bowl full of water and leave them to soak for a few minutes. You’ll then just need to wash them quickly under running water to remove any leftover dirt.
Water plants with vegetable water. Keep the water you used to wash any fruit and vegetables to one side and use it to water your vegetable garden and balcony plants, you’ll therefore avoid wasting usable water.
Watch out for dripping taps. A dripping tap uses about 5,000 litres of water a year, while a flush toilet uses up to 52,000 litres. Don’t delay: call a plumber as soon as you notice a leak.