Greywater and wastewater on the homestead

In short

• Greywater comes from the shower, bath, hand basin and washing machine. Toilet water (blackwater) never goes on the garden.
• Greywater goes under mulch, into the soil — never sprayed, and never onto vegetables eaten raw or grown in the ground.
• Don't store it for more than 24 hours: in a barrel it turns smelly and full of germs within a day.
• Use cleaning products without boron or bleach and low in salt. Otherwise the soil will be salted up within a few years.
• A three-way diverter valve: when you wash with bleach, when someone is ill and in winter, the water goes to the septic tank or the sewer.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Types of wastewater
2. What may go on the garden and what never
3. Soaps and detergents
4. Simple greywater systems
5. Kitchen water and the grease trap
6. The septic tank
7. The dry toilet
8. Barn and dairy water
9. Common mistakes
10. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Greywater and mulch basin calculator
• Greywater rules
• Greywater system plan
• My cleaning products
• Septic tank log
• Greywater and wastewater calendar
• Contacts and paperwork