How can we cut water waste in the workplace?

Growing population, water-hungry modern lifestyles and climate change mean that even a relatively damp country like the UK is experiencing water shortages.

Most of us don’t have much of an incentive to reduce our water use, particularly at work, as our supply is unmetered and unmeasured. But clean water is a precious resource, and enormous amounts of energy are used to purify it, transport it and deal with water waste.

Most workplaces could reduce their water use by as much as 20-30% with free or low-cost measures, many of which are just a question of changing habits.

Things you can do now

• Report leaks and drips and make sure they get fixed. A tap dripping twice a second wastes 10,000 litres over the course of a year.
• Ask your water company for leaflets, posters and stickers and run a water-saving awareness campaign to make sure people turn off taps and use water responsibly.
• Older toilet tanks will use 8-13 litres per flush. Installing a simple ‘hippo’ water saving device in the cistern can cut water use immediately.
• Urinals often flush automatically all day and night. Ask whether they can be switched off at night or at weekends.

Bigger ideas

• Installing mains-supply water coolers instead of bottled water coolers could cut costs and waste. See Unison’s water@work campaign for more information.
• Some low-cost changes to bathrooms can make a big difference. Installing spray-nozzle taps, or foam soap dispensers have both been shown to reduce the amount of water used for hand washing.
• If your employer is looking at refitting bathrooms, push for water efficiency to be a priority. New cisterns use less water anyway, but there’s lots of water-saving technology available, from push button taps to waterless urinals.
• Encourage your employer to start looking at water systematically. The government’s Envirowise scheme provides support for businesses to cut waste and costs.

You’ll find more ideas on cutting energy use on lighting in the TUC’s Go green at work handbook.