In the kitchen
Cooking and cleaning shouldn't make waste. By making a few small changes to your cooking and cleaning habits in the kitchen, you can drastically reduce the amount of water you use without cramping your lifestyle.
To find out how you can reduce your water use in the kitchen:
Faucet
Although your bathroom faucet may account for a very small portion of your bathroom water use, it should not be overlooked. Check the flow rate of your faucet. A faucet with a flow rate of less than 8½ litres per minute is considered to be water efficient and meets the requirements of the plumbing code of Ontario. If your faucet uses more than 8½ litres of water per minute, replace the aerator with a new water efficient aerator.
A steady drip can waste up to 55 litres of water in just 24 hours, if not looked after, it could add up to 20,075 litres per year.
Tips for around the kitchen:
- Become aware of how you are using water.
- Don't leave the water running when preparing food or when you require a drink of cold water. Keep a jug of drinking water in the fridge to avoid waiting for cold running water.
- Give your dishes a quick rinse - not a shower! If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. If you have two sinks, partially fill one with soapy water and the other with rinse water. If you have only one sink, gather washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a spray or in a pan full of hot water.
- If you have an automatic dishwasher, use it only to wash full loads, and use the energy saver or shortest cycle.
- Water should be the only thing that goes down your drain. Never put garbage of any kind down the sink drain.
- Reduce water flow from your taps. Install a low flow aerator on your sink faucets and reduce water use by 25 per cent.
- Reduce the use of kitchen sink garburetors by placing vegetables peelings, egg shells, and other food scraps in your composter.
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