Using greywater for domestic irrigation

Domestic irrigation using bathroom-sourced greywater is an increasingly common practice in Australia.

Renew, formerly the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) and RMIT’s Environmental Science Department have conducted a study on a selected range of bathroom products and their potential impacts on soil chemistry and structure when they are present in bathroom greywater.

Bathroom greywater is typically a mixture of the more traditional solid soaps, liquid body washes, shampoos and hair conditioners. This study involved the investigation of 44 commercially available bathroom products which included mainstream, generic and “eco”-friendly brands. Simulated shower greywater solutions were prepared for each individual product and these solutions used for both chemical and physical testing. Chemical analysis included the determination of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), sodium, potassium and phosphorus.