Recent research commissioned by Watersave Australia through industry consultants, Water Conservation Group, points to a saving of carbon emissions through the installation of waterless urinals. The study has focussed on the carbon saving that is a by-product of reduction in water usage.
Watersave Australia commissioned the study to determine the carbon benefits of using waterless urinals, which are a component of the Watersave suite of water saving solutions.
The study demonstrates that the total water saving for one waterless urinal, with a flush of 4L and an average of 50 flushes per day, equals 50kl per year per urinal (based on a five day week). The amount of carbon embedded in that saved water is equal to 1.22kg per kilo litre for Sydney, 1.05kg per kilo litre for Melbourne, 1.63kg per kilo litre for Brisbane, and 0.77kg per kilo litre for Perth. This equates to a saving of 0.06 tonnes of CO2 per year per urinal in Sydney, 0.05 tonnes of CO2 per year in Melbourne, 0.08 tonnes of CO2 per year for Brisbane, and 0.04 tonnes of CO2 per year for Perth. The different figures in CO2 result from variations in costs for the pre-production and supply of water and the subsequent collection and treatment of wastewater in different locations.
According to Watersave Australia, the study points to the importance of infrastructure development in future. Building designers and infrastructure managers need to consider all aspects of sustainable practices to decrease the carbon footprint of buildings. Waterless urinals are an important component within that carbon reduction strategy.
Watersave Australia water management solutions include the Uridan waterless urinal, with Danish design and low maintenance costs and the Watersave Smart metering solutions which save water wastage each year through real-time web based information on water usage in a building, enabling quick detection of leaks and other sources of wastage.