Reducing Water Wastage in the UK

Recent research released by Defra1 shows that many of us don’t think we waste water2. Indeed even when people do have some awareness that a behaviour is wasteful they have little connection to the impact of that wastefulness. However the average person in the UK uses around 150 litres of water every day and of this around one third is wasted. In support of the Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Saving Week, which this year highlights our wasteful behaviour, Waterwise is helping everyone to make some small changes to cut down on water waste.

‘Waterwise is very pleased to be supporting Energy Saving Week which highlights wasteful behaviours. There are so many ways that we waste water around the home and could be more efficient. Turning off the tap when we brush our teeth should be as normal a behaviour as turning off the lights when we leave our home. Most of us now act on our energy usage and we need to start thinking about water in the same way.’ Says Jacob Tompkins, Managing Director of Waterwise.

'This year’s Energy Saving week is all about wasting less time, energy and money. With household water consumption accounting for around 150 litres per person per day, it’s clear that wasting less water is a key area that we need to address. Given most householders are not aware of how much water they use, raising awareness is the first step. Organisations like Waterwise and The Energy Saving Trust have an important role to play here and we hope that working in partnership to promote Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Saving Week will do just that.' Philip Sellwood, Energy Saving Trust Chief Executive

Examples of wasteful behaviour include:

Running the shower whilst you are not in it wastes 9 litres of water a minute
EASY FIX – Don’t walk away from your shower whilst waiting for the water to run through hot. Make sure you get in as soon as it is warm enough. Better still, use a bucket to collect the water which runs through cold when you first turn your shower on. You can use this water on your houseplants or your garden.

Running your washing machine on a normal setting with only a half load wastes 25 litres each time
EASY FIX - Use a full load in your washing machine

Using a hosepipe unnecessarily wastes 16 litres of water a minute
EASY FIX – Install a water butt to collect valuable rainwater for use on your garden. Better still use a watering can. If you are washing your car use a bucket and sponge.

Flushing rubbish down your toilet wastes 6 litres each time
EASY FIX – Put your rubbish in the bin and try not to use your toilet as a dustbin.

Leaving the tap running whilst brushing your teeth wastes 6 litres of water a minute
EASY FIX – Fill a glass with water before turning off the tap.

Taking a longer shower than you need wastes 9 litres of water a minute
EASY FIX – Most of us spend around 10 minutes in the shower. By spending a little less time in the shower we can make more time for other things in our lives and save energy, money and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

For more tips on how to save water please visit www.waterwise.org.uk


Notes to Editors

1. Public Understanding of Sustainable Water Use in the Home, published by Defra, September 2009
2. Spending a long time in the shower, or even leaving the water running before getting into the shower is generally not seen as a waste because the water is being used, even if it is just being used to making the room warm. Consumers see a difference between leaving the light on and ‘wasting’ water in the shower. Quote from focus group participant ‘The difference is as you go out of a room it’s easy to turn the light off and you can see the reason behind it. You don’t need it on, you’re not in there but if you’re in the shower you need to have a shower but if you’re not in a room you can turn the telly off and you can turn the light off. It’s not being wasted.’

3. Waterwise is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organisation focused on decreasing water consumption in the UK, and building the evidence base for large scale water efficiency. We are the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK. We sat on the UK Environment Minister’s Water Saving Group alongside the water industry and regulators. Our aim is to reverse the upward trend in how much water we all use at home and at work. For more information please visit www.waterwise.org.uk

4. Energy Saving Week is an annual event hosted by the Energy Saving Trust. This year it runs from 19-25 October. Energy Saving Week 2009 is an important week for both our pockets and the planet. Energy Saving Week 2009 tackles WASTEFULNESS in Britain. How wasteful are Britons with their time, money and energy? Throughout the week, it will examine what people are wasting - money, energy, time etc - how they are doing it - through bad habits, lifestyle, behaviour etc - and explore how simple actions can help rectify the problem.

Contact:
Waterwise
Chris Philpot
Communications Manager
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
0207 957 4615