One of the most wasteful decisions ever made was to build a plumbing system that uses purified drinking water to flush toilets. Toilets account for nearly 30 per cent of an average home鈥檚 indoor water consumption, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. What鈥檚 more, diluting urine with lots of water makes the job of removing harmful chemical nutrients during sewage treatment less efficient.
One solution would be to introduce 鈥渦rine separation鈥� toilets that store your pee instead of sending it down the pan. They cut flush-water usage by up to 80 per cent. By diverting urine away from the main sewage stream, the nutrients in the pee can also be recycled as fertiliser.
But why use water at all? Many bars and restaurants have installed waterless urinals that employ only gravity. One leading brand, made by of Grand Rapids, Michigan, features a replaceable cartridge that allows urine to pass through, while preventing the sewage smell from the pipes beneath infiltrating the room.
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