| The statement in the title certainly seems to be false | | | | reused, so a low flush toilet doesn't save water at all! |
| on the face of it, doesn't it? After all, manufacturers | | | | 3. Now we come to the primary reason. In most |
| of eco toilets are constantly telling us that their new | | | | cases, using a low flush toilet does indeed save |
| improved toilets save lots of water. But there are | | | | water. However, the amount that it saves per |
| three reasons why the statement is actually true. | | | | person per year, when compared with the total |
| | | | amount used per person per year, is trivial. |
| 1. When the low flush toilet first became popular in | | | | So when you see a statement like, "using a no flush |
| 1994, it was due to a largely misguided law that | | | | toilet would save the average person 30 gallons of |
| mandated their use. At that time the technology was | | | | water every day", it's terribly misleading. It sounds |
| not sufficiently developed, and it turned out that | | | | like a significant amount or water. But it doesn't say |
| quite often, solid waste could not be flushed out in a | | | | how much water the average person uses |
| single try. It sometimes took several flushes. Since | | | | ALTOGETHER every day - including indirect uses. |
| those early days, however, many improvements | | | | As an example of an indirect use, the Water |
| have been made. So this reason is really no longer | | | | Education Foundation found that it takes about 30 |
| valid, unless you're speaking of an older toilet. | | | | gallons of water to grow a quarter-ounce serving of |
| 2. Another kind-of-trivial reason has to do with water | | | | corn. See? 30 gallons per person per day isn't much |
| recycling. In most areas of the country, waste water | | | | at all! |
| is treated, and dumped into a river, which eventually | | | | So please, let's not hear any more about eco toilets |
| empties into the ocean. But in some arid regions, such | | | | saving the planet by conserving our precious water. |
| as central California, the treated waste water is not | | | | They do indeed save water, but it's only a "drop in |
| thrown out - it's used over again. So no matter how | | | | the bucket" compared to other water usage. |
| many gallons of water is used for flushing, it's ALL | | | | |