Flush your toilet with recycled gray water

Well this seems like a really good idea. I wonder if the grey water passes though any type of filtration at all to make sure larger sized particles are taken out so they do not clog up sprinkler systems.

if you dont have a system like this, there is a huge amount of waste of water and money . im just realizing it.

In Japan they make a toilet that the top of the water resivoir is the hand wash sink, goes straight in the tank for flushing. they showcased it on This Old House. looked pretty neat, and saved room, long as they don't hook it up backwards.

Hooking it up backwards would be my luck. I actually saw a system like this. I am not sure about access to hot water but seems like that could be figured out.

Right now we use a bucket in our shower to catch the water that runs before it is warm enough to jump in. Seems like there could be a way to retrofit already built homes. We rent so we cannot make major changes.

what a waste. Whatever is wrong with us that we did not think of this years ago.

we have known about grey water for a long while yet with the abundance of water in our country it has never had a priority like it does now.

In a more perfect world it would be required in all new construction. Can we make this a more perfect world? I say yes!

They also fight fires with fresh water good point what can we do easy and quick?

this is a great idea. the one thing i feel really bad about is flushing the toilet all the time. I live with a girl who is very neat and doesn't appreciate a pot full of piss. So, sometimes i piss in the sink.

The reservoir tank is a very simple solution, we should find ways of implementing it. We Americans flush too much anyway, but please don't go in the sink!

I just had one of those "how did i not think of that?!" moments

This is a great idea. Can you send someone over to install one for me for free?

It seems like an awesome idea! The reason we didn't think of this before is because we didn't need to. Nobody was thinking about being "green." But now there's a need for it so people's minds are finally starting to work.

Japan is ahead of us in EVERYTHING, apparently. Even sink-toilets. Man!

This sounds perfect,... for those who give a crap about Earth Health 101. Start with public poopers, work out the kinks, then transition home turlets.
I'm just glad there's unknown ideas surfacing in our times of trouble.

Not wasting water on waste! Brilliant!

I love the sink above the toilet. I think it is doable in a home rental unit. Gonna give it a try

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Reminds me of my grandpa, who came from a poor family. After using the bath-tube, he is saving the water into buckets so he can flush the toilet a whole week from the water he already used for cleaning. Good idea!

what will they think of next? exract the ammonia out of your pee to sterilize your toilet aswell?

That's a good point. I was amazed when I learned that most toilet-flush water is actually drinkable. I mean, it just comes straight out and goes to waste...

Greener friends of mine have been using grey water in their two storey house for years before this particular invention.

Every bath and shower emptied through a filter into two large vented garden water butts, which themselves were positioned above the downstairs wc. Rainwater was aso diverted from the downpipe into more water storage.

With charged water metering, DIY adaptations like this have become a bit of a necessity

We have a gray water plan for watering lawns here (SWFL)and i have lobbied to have include toilet water with no results to speak of. Its stupid to cause its a easy easy fix. in fact i've been told that the recycled water here is good enough to shower with if it wasnt for the slight smell.

it only makes sense...really it does...

more reason to train your pets and kids not to play in toilet water.

If it's yellow, let it mellow.
If it's brown, flush it down.

Does this mean I have to stop peeing in the shower?

When we use the toilet, and flush it afterwards, the fresh water becomes "gray water" -

why not is what I say....it's going to be gray when you're done flushing anyway...

This is an airtight invention that trumps most of the eco-conscious ideas out there...

Where can I get one?

how's my dog going to drink now?

It is crazy that we use fresh water for toilets. I think peeing in the sink and shower might not be a good idea if you are going to recycle greywater.

couldn't soap be removed with a simple filter? If so, then this is a huge thing. I can see where some areas may be sensitive to ingredients we've added like flouride, soap and cleaners, but if brita can make filters to take out all that they do for the price that they do, I wonder if a household system can be installed and used reasonably?? It seems everyone is thinking, that's a start isn't it.

Using water to dispose of waste has evolved little since the Romans built the first crappers over streams and rivers. And even now most large cities continue to use sewerage systems developed by the Victorians consuming vast reservoirs of this precious resource.

Reusing grey-water for toilets is a step in the right direction. But why not remove the need for water altogether with a composting variety?

Not only will this save water, users will never be short of fertilizer for their window boxes ever again.

This could equally work in conurbations with high population density, providing organic material by the block that could be shipped out to food growers reducing dependency on chemical soil additives.

Gee, county jails have had Japenese toilets all these years.

Considering the immense change in infrastructure to make this happen, it doesn't seem to be very cost effective. A good thought though.

great! so then i'll shower, use that water to flush my poop, which will then be used to power my car (according to the waste-to-energy article).

neat

In Virginia it is a no-no to use a grey water system. The state considers it to be discharging sewage on the property of the stte. That was the response to this question I posed to a county health department official. I did not raise the issue of the fact that the land did NOT belong to the state but the mindset is interesting.
Many people here are using greywater systems. My house has geothermal HVAC and solar domestic hot water. I plan on sending the clothes washer water to the fruit trees. No reason to send this to the septic system. The attitude of the county health dept official I spoke with is terrible. It needs to change.

I really like this idea. I just hope filtration centers after the bathroom can handle the increase in waste.

This is a great system, but I think it would have to be fully automated for people to really use it. It's hard enough to get people to put salt into their water softeners, but asking them to empty their "gray water" filter? If the filter would just flush itself it would be so easy-- and invisible-- that it would be a no-brainer to put it in every new home.

I know a woman who saves her bath water to water her garden a