Why Use Greywater?
Reusing or recycling greywater from sinks, showers, and washing machines (but never toilets) is a great way to conserve water and save money. In a residential context (which is the focus of our work) greywater systems can reduce a household's water use by 10% to 50%, save time on watering plants, save money on expensive irrigation systems, greatly extend the life of a septic system, encourage the use of more environmentally friendly products, and use less energy and fewer chemicals than other forms of waste water treatment. In short - what are you waiting for! Greywater recycling is good for your garden, your health, your wallet, and benefits the local watershed.
Types of Greywater Systems
There are three main ways to use greywater in the residential context. To read more about each time, click the jump-to link next to these 3 types.
1. Low tech systems for outdoor irrigation: laundry to landscape and branched drain
2. Medium tech systems for outdoor irrigation: drum effluent pump
3. High tech systems for outdoor irrigation: sand filter to drip
| Laundry to Landscape | Branched Drain | Drum with Effluent Pump | Sand Filter to Drip | |
| Pumped | yes | yes | ||
| Needs filtering | yes | |||
| DIY | yes | maybe | maybe | |
| Slab construction | yes | |||
| Needs permit | yes | yes | yes | |
| Works w/ existing irrigation | yes | |||
| Trees and shrubs | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Large perennials/annuals | yes | yes | yes | |
| Small perennials/annuals | maybe | yes | ||
| Lawn | yes | |||
| Cost | $ | $ | $$ | $$$$ |