Water is a precious resource that is essential for all life form from plants and animals to humans. While we need to consume and use water to survive, there are ways to reuse and recycle our water to get double the benefit from it.

Did you know that in South Africa 27% of the total water used is used for domestic and gardening purposes? By recycling your water for irrigation and other non-drinking purposes our gardens and world would benefit significantly.

Recycled water, better known as greywater, is water that you have previously used and is sourced from basins, washing machines, baths and showers. Often this water will contain traces of soap residue along with other matter that is harmless when used for irrigation purposes or even cleaning paving or external areas around the house.

To get the maximum benefit from your greywater it is advisable to:

• Get the water directly from the outlet source to prevent contamination with black water. You can install a commercial greywater system if your sewerage pipes are visible outside of the house;
• Use environmentally friendly and biodegradable soaps, detergents and cleaning products to prevent damage to the environment;
• Spread the irrigation of greywater to different parts of the garden to spread the soap residue across a wider area.

Water is an essential commodity that we all need to work together to save. Visit your nearest GCA Garden Centre  to find out which products are available to help you do your bit to reuse your grey water and save water and our environment.