Water Waste And The Wet Side Of Business Sustainability
Any business owner that cares about running a sustainable enterprise will have undoubtedly spent some time looking at how to cut waste in business. However, waste isn’t just what you throw into the trash, nor is the power you use to keep operations going. Water is becoming an issue of increasing importance due to more frequent droughts, and the long-term danger of water shortages affecting the population more broadly.
If you want to make sure your business is doing its part, here are a few ways to make it less wasteful with water.
Install water-saving devices
Whatever appliance it is that provides you with the water that you use, there’s most likely a water-saving alternative on offer. Toilets and taps for the restrooms might be the most obvious examples, but this can also extend to things like water-saving sprinklers and irrigation systems for agricultural businesses.
It might require something of an upfront investment, but the overall savings after a long period of decreased water use can end up paying for it. Another investment that might help is that of motion-sensing devices around sinks and the like.
Having a tap left running by an employee is a very minor and easy mistake to make, but it can waste a tremendous amount of water.
Watch where you get your water
If you’re relying entirely on your local plumbing to get all of the water that the business needs, you might be spending more money than you have to. This may depend largely on your location and the weather, but industrial rainwater tanks can help you catch and store a lot of the water that might otherwise get wasted falling from the sky.
You can store rainwater and use it in all matter of applications. Not only can it supply your bathrooms, but it may also be able to be used for manufacturing and agricultural processes, too. Some businesses may even be able to reuse things like grey water from the sinks, but the uses of this are comparatively limited.
Invest in water system maintenance
You should also make sure that you’re regularly checking for leaks in the places that rely on the most plumbing, as not only can these be huge sources of water waste, they can do real damage to your business, too. Water damager is a big enough cost on its own, but it could also go directly against your efforts to conserve water.
Similarly, if you do rely on any water-saving devices, you should make sure that they are serviced and maintained in precisely the way that the manufacturer recommends. Many of these devices can lose efficiency over time due to wear-and-tear or misuse, so it’s important to keep on top of their needs.
A business’s ability to reduce water waste may depend largely on its size, as well as industry. For instance, large agricultural and manufacturing firms can do a lot more to prevent wasted water than a small office outfit. However, there are steps that everyone can take.
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