Don't give me that crap

We all do it. Every time we flush the toilet we waste water. The ol’ crapper uses 5 – 15 litres of water every time it’s visited. But it doesn’t have to. When a toilet is flushed, the tank drains and refills. Most of the water being used isn’t needed for a decent flush. Placing a weighted pop bottle into the tank reduces the amount of water being used, since the space the bottle takes up would normally be flushed down the drain.

Armed with that knowledge, I set out to make our office a little greener. The end result: each of our toilets now uses 1 – 2 litres less water. Here’s how I did it.

1) Fill the bottom third of a pop bottle with gravel, then water
2) Cap it
3) Carefully lift the lid off the toilet tank
4) Place the bottle or bottles at either end of the tank. Make sure they’re not near the rubber flapper, or the float so they don’t jam up the flushing process
5) Place the lid back on. You’re done