Dual flush loos 'key to saving water'

Author: The Age
Date Published: 2005-11-14

Dual flush loos rather than desalination plants and new dams could be the best way to save billions of litres of water.

An infrastructure conference will hear on Tuesday that dual flush toilets - which enable the user to choose a small flush over a large one - could save the nation more than 101 billion litres of water every year.

GWA International, whose companies include toilet manufacturer Caroma, believes governments would save time and money by paying rebates to people to retrofit their toilets with dual flush loos.

Infrastructure First has been releasing a series of papers as part of its efforts to boost awareness about Australia's long term infrastructure needs.

GWA group marketing manager Tony Rusten, who will address Tuesday's Infrastructure First paper release, said retrofitting programs had worked well in the United States, with rebates and vouchers available to homeowners to offset the cost.

"Governments and the community should jointly shoulder financial responsibility for a retrofit program rather than leave the burden of water conservation to be shouldered by new home buyers," he said.

"A retrofit initiative is the lower cost and most immediate solution for significant water savings around Australia."

Mr Rusten said saving 101 billion litres of water through dual flush loos was a more efficient way of conserving water than desalination plants or shifting water between catchments.

The president of BlueScope Water, Col Weatherstone, will use Tuesday's report release to call for a national plan to install rainwater tanks in the nation's backyards.

He said rainwater tanks would delay the need for new dams by 80 years.

"The installation of 5,000 litre rainwater tanks for hot water, toilet, laundry and outdoor use at an installation rate of between one and two per cent of households per annum will significantly defer the need for augmentation projects, such as new dams," he said.

"It will harvest water that is currently just running off into drains and by avoiding projects such as increased pumping from rivers or new dams, will lower greenhouse gas emissions."

© 2005 AAP

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