Smart shading can help heatproof your home.

IF YOU shade your windows well, you’ll be able to switch off your air-conditioner more often this summer, says David Hallett, the state manager of Archicentre. “It can make you more comfortable on two fronts – it will keep your rooms cooler and ease the burden on your hip pocket as well.”

Archicentre is the advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects. It runs free seminars on a variety of issues, including renovating and sustainable building.

Mr Hallett says that the key to effective shading is to stop the sun from striking windows directly. “Many people try to stay cool by drawing curtains or internal blinds, but the sun is still transmitting heat into the room. The trick is to stop it hitting the glass in the first place.”

Large structures such as verandahs, pergolas and covered outdoor living areas can all do the job, but there’s a catch. “In Melbourne, you’ve got to balance keeping the sun out during the hot months with getting it in during a cold winter,” he says.

If you’re planning to build or renovate, pay special attention to your eaves. During summer, the sun tracks high in the northern sky and stays hot until late in the afternoon as it sets in the west. In winter, the sun is lower in the sky all day. Because of this difference, it’s possible to design eaves so they block sunshine in summer, but let it in throughout winter.

“If you design the building well, with living areas to the north, you will want the winter sun coming in. The calculation of eaves becomes very important,” Mr Hallett says.

Even so, you don’t need to completely redesign your home just to improve its shading. Other cheap and effective tactics include installing shadecloth or outdoor blinds on your windows. Mr Hallett warns DIYers to be cautious with shade sails. “Make sure they’re designed and installed properly because they can come down in strong winds and take some of the building with them.”

Another simple strategy is to grow trees for shade. Robin Brimblecombe, a solar energy researcher at Monash University, says careful planting of deciduous trees to the north and west will help cool your home in summer while allowing sunlight in when they lose their leaves.

According to Dr Brimblecombe, US researchers recently found that houses with existing shade trees use an average of five per cent less electricity over summer. (For more information, see his article in the current issue of ReNew magazine, published by the Alternative Technology Association.)

Before you decide on a tree variety, it’s wise to contact a nursery for detailed advice. “When you plant leafy trees you need to consider whether you’ve got enough water to sustain them through summer,” Dr Brimblecombe says. Despite the extra shade, bigger isn’t always better – thirsty roots can damage pipes and foundations.

Smaller trees can be very effective, especially to the west. “For sustainability, deciduous fruit trees like apples and stone fruits are a great idea,” he says. “You get the double benefit of shade and edible produce.”

Dr Brimblecombe also suggests growing deciduous grape vines on a north-facing pergola. “It’s lovely to sit under their shade and you also get a cooling effect from the leaves as they transpire.”

 

All sorts of products can have a second life.

Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week runs from 9 to 15 November. Now in its 14^th year, the event aims to improve our recycling habits and cut our waste.

“People are really familiar with recycling the cans and cartons they use at home,” says campaign director Brad Gray. “But it gets more complicated with things that can’t go in the kerbside collection.

This week, to help you discard those trickier items, there will be special recycling collection points set up at Melbourne Central, Highpoint, Dandenong Plaza and Chirnside Park.

You’ll be able to drop off old batteries, printer cartridges, corks and compact fluorescent globes (which contain mercury and should not be put in the bin). You can even recycle your old eyeglasses. “They get cleaned and graded and then donated to communities around the world where people can’t afford to buy them,” Mr Gray says.

For this year’s recycling week, Planet Ark is also promoting swap parties, where people can exchange their unwanted treasure for free. There are 10 Victorian councils holding Big Aussie Swaps – check the website to see if your council is involved. If not, Mr Gray suggests staging your own with your friends and neighbours. “We’re encouraging people to re-use before they get to the recycling stage – it has an even better environmental benefit.”

He argues that it’s more important than ever before to get the most from our resources. “It takes thousands of litres of water to make a cotton dress or print a book and that’s water we can’t afford to waste. Swapping is a simple and fun way to save valuable resources.

According to deputy CEO of Sustainability Victoria, Jan Trewhella, a new kind of waste has begun to crowd our tips in recent years – high-tech gadgets such as computers, printers, mobile phones and DVD players. “Electronic waste is growing at about four times the rate of normal household waste,” she says. “And with the change to digital technology we’ll see lots more TVs entering the waste stream.”

Many of these gizmos contain lead, mercury and other hazardous materials. If they’re not discarded carefully, they can end up contaminating our soil, ground water or waterways.

But e-waste also contains precious metals such as gold, copper and silver, as well as plastic, glass and other materials that can be extracted through recycling. “We can reclaim these resources rather than losing them to landfill,” Ms Trewhella says.

Together with industry partners, Sustainability Victoria runs Byteback, a free disposal and recycling service for worn-out computer equipment. You can drop off up to ten items at a time, including PCs, printers, speakers, cords and other peripherals. There are collection stations in Melbourne and beyond, including Ballarat and Geelong. A nationwide e-waste collection scheme is slated to begin by 2011.

The government agency also recently launched Batteryback, a similar scheme that gathers spent single-use and rechargeable batteries. Collection points (only in Melbourne) are listed on the Resource Smart website.

Mobile phones and old printer cartridges are two other commonly thrown-out products that can be easily recycled. They can be dropped off through any Australia Post office.

For more information, visit Planet Ark’s comprehensive website, Recycling Near You. It lists instructions and links for almost any product, from car tyres to X-ray films, and can be searched by item and council area.

Natural light can cut your energy bills and brighten your days.

Recently, Caroline Ottinger decided to seek the light. “We live in a semi-detached house in Ascot Vale,” she says. “It’s over 100 years old and was quite dark inside. I really wanted to brighten it up.”

After thorough research, she chose two narrow tubular skylights to fit her corridor. The cost – $1200 installed – has paled in comparison to the effect on her home.

“They’ve transformed our hall,” she says. “People can’t believe it when they come over – they think we’ve got lights on. When it’s sunny they’re magnificent, and even when it’s overcast we never need to use lights during the day.”

Ms Ottinger has found the soft, diffuse daylighting to be more relaxing. “It makes me feel so much happier,” she says. “Because I’ve got a young baby I spend a lot of time in the house. I think light makes a real difference to your mood. It’s been an amazing transformation.”

If you’re considering skylights for your house, she suggests searching for a business that offers a free, no-obligation quote. “But it’s worth doing research yourself first, so you know the prices and the products – that way you’re not going to get ripped off.”

The Skylight Industry Association is a good place to start your investigation. President Robert Cussigh says that broadly, there are three kinds of skylights.

Dome skylights are the most common. They have a plastic, opaque dome in the roof and a square shaft that leads to a diffuser panel in the ceiling. Tubular skylights are similar, but use a round shaft with reflective silver lining that directs the sunlight downwards and into the room. Both kinds cost from around $200 to $900, plus installation.

Roof windows are glass units set directly into the roof, with open plaster shafts so you can see the sky. They usually have timber frames and double-glazing, but can come with all sorts of features, including blinds, rain sensors and remotes for opening and closing. They range in price from $400 to $2000, plus installation.

DIYers will find the smaller, tubular lights the most straightforward to put in, but Mr Cussigh maintains that any kind of skylight can be retrofitted. “They’re easier to install while you’re building the house, but most people tend to put them in after the fact. They realise they’ve got a dark room and skylights solve the problem.”

With an elegant design, they can even be a feature. “Many people are putting in roof windows for the wow-factor,” Mr Cussigh says. “You can really open a room up and make it look spectacular by drawing in natural light.”

Skylights can let in more than three times the light of a same-sized vertical window, according to online sustainable design guide, Your Home. Daylighting is also cooler than artificial sources, which means less added heat inside. Although some warmth can be gained and lost through the skylights themselves (depending on the weather outside), it’s minor in comparison to the effect of standard windows or inadequate insulation.

All things considered, says Mr Cussigh, skylights can significantly improve the energy efficiency of your house. “There’s a huge cost saving in CO₂ emissions by not having to flick a switch every time you want light,” he says.

Eco-friendly cleaning isn’t all about elbow grease.

ANGELA Crocombe hasn’t used commercial cleaning products in her home for years. “I’m amazed by the rows and rows of chemicals available at the supermarket,” she says. “They’re so unnecessary.”

She’s the author of A Lighter Footprint: a practical guide to minimising your impact on the planet. The book details all manner of ways to reduce your use of the world’s resources, including using natural cleaning products.

Ms Crocombe has swapped store-bought cleaners for microfibre cloths and a mix of simple goods: bicarb soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, and tea-tree oil (for a fresh smelling disinfectant). She employs other commonsense tactics such as using old toothbrushes to scrub hard-to-reach places, and it all adds up to a healthy saving. “You can save a fortune – there are so many products you just don’t need anymore.”

As a new mother, Ms Crocombe says she’s become even more determined to stick to her regime. “Sometimes I walk past a café that’s been cleaning with the toxic bleaches and it just stinks. I just don’t want my child to be inhaling that. And I’m also concerned about damaging the animal and plant life in our waterways.”

A risk adverse approach also makes sense to Bridget Gardner, founder of Fresh Green Clean. Her business was previously an eco-cleaning service, but she now consults and educates on green cleaning methods. She’s holding her next workshop for householders at CERES Community Environment Park in East Brunswick on November 7.

“There are a lot of unknowns with chemicals and human toxicity, especially because the chemicals are tested individually, not in the combinations found in finished products,” she says. “The EU is doing an enormous amount of work to tighten chemical regulation – it’s about taking a precautionary stance. For people who are concerned, there are solutions that make cleaning a lot simpler.”

Ms Gardner spruiks a four-step process. “I teach people that water is a fantastic cleaning agent,” she says. “And it’s not about going back to grandma’s recipes and scrubbing hard.”

The first step is to wipe the surface with a microfibre or textured cloth to remove anything loose. Next, soak to soften. “If there’s something stuck on, just leave it damp a moment. When you wipe it again, it will come off easily,” she says.

Then target any stubborn grime or stains with bicarb soda – add a small amount to a damp cloth to form a paste and rub gently. To remove shower and bathroom scale, Ms Gardner recommends first running the cloth over a bar of soap, then adding the bicarb. “You’re basically making something like Jiff. The soap makes bicarb more effective and easier to wash away afterwards.”

The final step is to dry the surface with a chamois, dry cloth or squeegee. Ms Gardner maintains that this process won’t take any extra time. “You have to be fast in a cleaning business, so I know these steps work.”

Although a growing number of commercial cleaning products are being marketed as ‘green’, it pays to be wary of their claims. Before buying, look for Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certification and make sure the ingredients are listed. “Even if you can’t understand the gobbledygook, someone else can,” Ms Gardner says, “It means they’re not hiding anything.”

For a full list of low-impact cleaners, visit the Safer Solutions website.

It’s easy to turf the grass for a veggie patch.

Under stage 3a water restrictions, we’re banned from watering lawns from the mains. So avoid the dead grass this summer, suggests Adam Grubb from Very Edible Gardens, and convert it “from lawn to lunch”.

You can build a ‘no-dig’ garden without any back-breaking work, by layering brown organic matter (such as pea straw or autumn leaves) and manure (cow, sheep or horse) to form a raised bed.

“It’s like creating a compost where you’re going to grow your veggies,” Mr Grubb says. “No-dig gardens are really well-suited over lawn or weeds, or where the soil is poor.”

Begin by spreading chicken manure or blood and bone over the designated area, then set down wet newspaper to stifle the grass below. Next, layer the manure and organic material to at least 40 centimetres. “It’s sometimes called lasagne gardening, because you alternate those two layer types as you go up,” he says.

To plant your vegetables, make small holes and fill them with compost or rich topsoil. Place seedlings into the soil, rather than the manure.

Leafy greens will thrive in no-dig gardens straight away, but peas, beans and root vegetables like carrots and onions can find the manure too rich for the first few months. “You’ve given your garden such a boost that you won’t need to fertilise for twelve months,” Mr Grubb says, “Its performance will improve in the second year.”

Very Edible Gardens can help you get growing. They provide materials, know-how and permaculture design services (fully installed raised veggie beds start at $750). See their website (below) for a more detailed guide to no-dig gardening.

Matthew Pember, from the Little Veggie Patch Company, also offers backyard food growing expertise, from advice through to garden installation and maintenance. “You can grow almost anything in springtime,” he says. “But it’s important to plant what you are going to eat. It defeats the whole purpose if you don’t eat them!”

Delicious home-grown tomatoes are at the top of the list. Mr Pember’s favourite variety is black Russian. “They’re really tasty to pick off the vine and eat with a pinch of salt,” he says.

You should propagate seeds now, but if you want to plant as seedlings, hold off until early November. “The rule of thumb is to plant tomato seedlings over the Cup weekend,” he says. “Make sure to water regularly and deeply while the plants develop.” Grow basil, chilli, oregano and thyme as well, and you’ll be able to bottle a delicious tomato sauce when you harvest in late summer and autumn.

If you strike pests or other growing pains and decide to search the Internet for advice, remember to stick to southern hemisphere pages that match your climate. In any case, Mr Pember says the best wisdom is usually close at hand. “I live in Thornbury and I’ve got lots of Greek and Italian neighbours. They’re a wealth of information and they’re always happy to share what they know,” he says. “Learn from the people who’ve been doing it for years.”

The first step to reducing your greenhouse emissions is to do the maths.

Last year, Shaun Murray and his neighbours formed the Westside Carbon Rationing Action Group, aiming to reduce the eco-impact of their households. The first step was to estimate their greenhouse emissions.

The members plugged their energy use, flights, petrol purchases, and red meat and dairy consumption into a simple carbon footprint calculator (available on the Carbon Rationing Action Group website).

“It helps you to quantify and compare something that’s otherwise very hard to grasp,” Mr Murray says. “You get to understand the rough equivalencies – what it means if you switch to 100 per cent GreenPower or ride your bike instead of driving.”

The other benefit of these measures, he says, is that they help put our habits into perspective against others around the globe. Risk assessment company Maplecroft recently found that Australia has the world’s highest per capita carbon emissions from energy use, nearly twenty times more than India.

There are many other carbon footprint calculators available online that can help you decipher which aspects of your house and lifestyle have the most impact. The EPA’s Greenhouse Calculator is a comprehensive tool created by CSIRO (complete with teachers’ resources), while the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Eco-calculator takes account of water use and spending habits, as well as energy consumption.

Meanwhile, Mr Murray has reduced his carbon footprint to less than one-tenth of what it was. “I think that for a lot of people, it’s possible to make massive reductions in emissions,” he says.

Jeff Angel, executive director of the Total Environment Centre, agrees. “Do as much as you can by reducing your energy consumption and buying GreenPower,” he says. “After all those steps, you can make yourself carbon neutral by buying good offsets.”

Last year, the Total Environment Centre (together with Choice and the Institute for Sustainable Futures) founded Carbon Offset Watch, an independent ranking of Australian offset providers. “We set it up because there was serious public confusion about carbon offsets and major doubts about their veracity, accreditation and transparency,” Mr Angel says.

So which offsets will truly reduce your footprint? According to Carbon Offset Watch, the most effective projects change the underlying activities that create greenhouse gases. They include energy efficiency schemes, renewable energy funds, waste prevention and the protection of existing forests.

“The longer you have to wait for the carbon offset to mature, the greater chance risk that it may not eventuate – like tree planting,” Mr Angel says. “But if you are helping to pay for energy efficiency, those benefits are immediate when the new technology is put in.”

Climate Friendly was rated the best among the 20 offset providers that took part in the survey.

But there’s another catch. Under the Federal Government’s proposed emissions trading legislation, if an individual cuts their carbon footprint there’s no corresponding cut to the national target. Any voluntary cuts you make will just permit someone else to pollute more.

“Unless voluntary carbon abatement is ‘additional’ to the CPRS target, it becomes a feel-good exercise – it simply gives the big polluters an easier task,” Mr Angel says.

Carbon Offset Watch believes that although carbon offsetting is worthwhile, its future is in doubt if the flaw remains. “We’re campaigning for the Rudd government to solve the problem,” Mr Angel says. “The next two months will determine the success of the campaign.”

Gardens can thrive despite the drought.

It’s never too late to ready your garden for summer, says Anna Thirkell-Johnston, from Bulleen Art and Garden nursery, “but you’ve got to get onto it as soon as you can.” On October 15, she’s hosting a seminar on drought-proofing your backyard.

A number of tactics have begun to seep into common knowledge. Water tanks offer some independence from the mains: the larger the capacity, the better. Recycling greywater also boosts your supply, but it requires careful research and implementation.

When it comes to watering, it’s best to use a drip irrigation system and cover your garden beds with about ten centimetres of mulch – both steps will reduce evaporation and wastage.

But above all, Ms Thirkell-Johnston says, it’s important that people understand that soil is their biggest water storage device. “Organic matter is like a sponge in the soil,” she says. “Soils that have high organic matter hold a heck of a lot more water than those that don’t.”

She recommends gardeners build up their soil by adding compost and mulch to create humus – that’s the rich, dark and fertile soil that absorbs extra water. Moisture retention products such as crystals and wetting agents can be effective, she adds, but only if used correctly. Most people tend to use them too much.

On plant selection, Ms Thirkell-Johnston says there’s no substitute for study – search plant encyclopaedias or Google to find out what conditions suit the plant you’re considering.

Cam Wilson from Forest Edge Permaculture says a garden can be water-smart and productive. “A well-mulched backyard garden uses about one-fifth the water that a market gardener needs to grow the same amount of food.”

He recommends digging basins and trenches (about thirty centimetres deep) on the upper side of trees and shrubs. “If it’s been hot and dry, the soil doesn’t receive water very well. When you have a downpour, it rushes off the surface of your property,” he says. “The basins will intercept the runoff and hold the water, giving it time to infiltrate the soil.”

To avoid your yard “looking like a motocross track”, fill the trenches with mulch. “A tree-lopper can often drop off quite a large load of chips for $80 or $100.”

Drought-solutions can be attractive features. For a recent project, Mr Wilson created a dry creek bed, feeding from a shed downpipe. “It’s got disguised infiltration basins on the way down to water fruit trees, and they overflow into a frog-pond.”

He says it’s also crucial to shelter your garden beds from the hot western sun and from dry north winds. Try growing a grape on a trellis to the west – its deciduous leaves will offer summer shade.

To the north, he suggests planting a windbreak. “It reduces evaporation by a huge amount. I often recommend planting an Acacia hedge, which can be chopped back hard after summer to allow winter light. The prunings make an excellent mulch under fruit trees.”

Forming new habits is the key to cutting household waste.

Australians end up throwing out one in every five bags of groceries we buy, according to the website Food Wise. But food waste isn’t the only problem. The Ethical Consumer Group says we each consume about 165 kilograms of packaging a year and only half is recycled.

Hugh Butcher is trying to ditch that excess baggage. He was one of over a dozen Melbournians who recently took part in the Ethical Consumer Group’s weeklong, zero-waste trial (you can find details, tips and blogs on the organisation’s website).

Mr Butcher’s main tactic was to adhere as closely as he could to the waste hierarchy: avoid first, then reuse, recycle and last of all, dispose. That meant buying products in bulk and carting reusable containers whenever he went shopping. “Common foods that I eat, like pasta and nuts, I now buy in bulk – not pre-packaged. It’s my new standard practice.”

Environmental consultant Jenny Henty says a group effort is the perfect way to begin to cut your household waste. “When you’re starting off, it’s really good to have like-minded people who are trying to do the same thing.”

She argues that food wastage is a critical issue. “A huge amount of water and energy goes into producing the food. And then, if it decomposes at the tip, it generates methane, which is a very powerful greenhouse gas.”

To avoid spoilage, Ms Henty recommends planning meals, shopping with a list and buying only what you need. When you throw food away, make sure it goes into the compost.

As for packaging, we can cut back by switching to reusable bags and containers. “I use cloth bags for my fresh bread and I’ve got net bags for things like beans and peas,” Ms Henty says. She buys her dry goods in bulk, takes her own containers to the butcher and chooses cardboard containers rather than plastic wrapping.

But at chain supermarkets, that can be tricky. “You’ve got to change your shopping list,” she says. “You need to buy basics and cook at home.” Try shopping at markets, health food stores or supermarkets that sell goods in bulk (including cleaning products).

That might sound overwhelming, but it needn’t be so, if you take one item on at a time. “Step-by-step, you get into new habits that are no extra work,” Ms Henty says. “And if you reduce your supermarket buying, you can actually save a lot of money. When I cut out a lot of stuff I used to buy, I realised the food was better and I ended up happier as a result.”

At the end of his zero-waste week, Mr Butcher had only a few things in his rubbish bin – mainly wrappers from products he’d bought previously. “It was amazing what I got my waste down to,” he says. “I thought I was in for a massive shock, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”

Green roofs and walls are slowly taking root.

A small number of city roofs and walls are sprouting lush foliage, and they’re attracting lots of attention. “Everybody is getting excited by them. I think it’s time to rethink city-wide design,” says Green Roofs Australia vice president, Ben Nicholson. His organisation is holding its annual conference at Melbourne University’s Burnley campus from September 23 to 25.

Mr Nicholson says although green roofs are an old technique, the modern systems were developed in Germany just three decades ago. Plants grow in lightweight soils over waterproof and root-repellent layers on the roof. They can range from extensive (inaccessible and low-maintenance) to intensive (abundant and high-maintenance, more like a roof garden).

Either way, they act as a sponge for stormwater, reduce urban heat radiation and boost biodiversity. They can also double the lifespan of roofing materials and reduce the need for heating and air-conditioning indoors.

That’s an enticing list, but so far in Australia, green roofs are only gradually moving into commercial and residential use. Mr Nicholson warns against putting on “green bling” that won’t stand the test of time. “There’s a lot of research to be done to establish which species will thrive locally over the long term.”

The other big catch is the cost of retrofitting on existing homes. Mr Nicholson says that an extensive green roof can weigh four times the load-bearing capacity of most roofs. “So before you’ve even started the retrofit, there can be huge costs in getting the building ready to host a green roof. It’s much easier to design a new home with a green roof. Our rooftops could then be sites for urban agriculture or habitat creation – as well as improving the view.”

Sydneysider Jock Gammon’s business, Junglefy, is working on a green roof for the Melbourne City Council. He estimates that an extensive green roof on a new home will cost between $180 and $220 per square metre. There’s a lot to keep in mind, including the roof capacity, plant selection and rainwater runoff arrangements. “Do the consultation and designs at the beginning of your building project,” he advises.

If you’re dedicated to gardening on high, but you’re not planning to build from scratch, then a green wall is the best bet.

Junglefy sells a range of vertical garden products, including ecoVert, a self-contained system that will help you grow herbs and veggies up the wall. It starts at $625, plus an optional mains or solar-powered watering system. The plants shoot from pockets of coconut fibres, not soil, and feed from organic fertilisers. “It’s designed for apartment dwellers and people with small courtyards who hadn’t previously grown things,” Mr Gammon says.

For a lower-tech food-producing wall, try espalier fruit trees. With pruning and training, you can grow the trees in flat patterns against a trellis or fence – it’s a tried and tested method, in use since at least the Middle Ages.

Greywater can wet your garden no matter the weather, but you must use it with care.

With another dry summer predicted, gardeners will soon need all the moisture they can get. Diverting your greywater can seem like a simple solution, but Helen Tuton from Sustainable Gardening Australia warns that it’s not so straightforward. “The long term effects of greywater on soil health aren’t known,” she says.

Greywater is the used water from your shower and bath, bathroom basin and laundry (not the kitchen or toilet). Collection systems range all the way from buckets to the big bucks.

No matter how you catch it, Ms Tuton says one thing is crystal clear. “Greywater and edible plants just don’t mix. A lot of fats, oils and salts come out of greywater and just sit in the soil.”

Chemicals, harmful bacteria and other residues in our recycled water damage the good bacteria and fungi that live in healthy soil. “I always recommend that people turn their greywater off over autumn and winter,” Ms Tuton says. “The soil needs a chance to be flushed out with rainwater.”

There are two kinds of greywater: untreated and treated. You’ll need to hire a licensed plumber either way, because both will require alterations to your sewer pipes.

Brent Papadopoulos from Sustainable Plumbing Solutions says that for public health reasons, untreated greywater isn’t allowed to see the light of day. “It must be transferred out to your garden through sub-surface irrigation. It must not pool anywhere and it must be used within 24 hours.”

An untreated diverter system costs between $700 and $2500. “They need regular checking and filter cleaning by the homeowner, otherwise they get blocked,” Mr Papadopoulos says. “Some systems might need attention twice a week. It just depends on the family: what they put down the drain and how hairy they are.”

Treatment systems are much more expensive – from $5,000 to $12,000 – and they require a permit from your local council. On the plus side, however, they’re eligible for a $500 Federal Government rebate and they produce much more versatile water.

“They harvest the same greywater but then they treat it and clean it up to a class-A standard,” Mr Papadopoulos says. “It can be stored and used in the home to flush toilets, wash clothes and also for above-ground irrigation like the good old-fashioned pop-up sprinklers.”

If you’re planning on gathering greywater, Ms Tuton recommends switching cleaning products, especially in the laundry. It’s important to buy products low in sodium and phosphorous. Washing detergents marked NP are phosphorous free, but for full information on different products, refer to independent testers Lanfax Laboratories.

According to Ms Tuton, there’s another puddle for greywater gardeners to avoid. “We’re finding that people are drowning their plants. They’re killing them with love,” she says. “Just because the water’s there, doesn’t mean you need to use it on the garden.”