Water is a precious natural resource that organisations should manage in the same way they manage all of their other inputs and raw materials.
Why is water important to resource efficiency?
Water is a precious natural resource that organisations should manage in the same way they manage all of their other inputs and raw materials. Although Scotland rarely experiences drought, the water coming out our taps is a refined product that requires enormous amounts of energy in its treatment, and particularly in treating the waste effluents our homes and businesses produce. Water consumption and waste water treatment is therefore an important component of your organisation’s carbon and environmental footprint.
The costs of water supply and treatment have increased in recent years, due mainly to increases in energy costs. Couple this with the effects of climate change becoming more recognisable through extreme weather events, such as droughts and flooding, and the cost of water will inevitably continue to rise. This impacts organisations in Scotland already and will increase in effect in the future.
There are many water saving devices, for use on hoses, taps, and in toilet cisterns, for example that can significantly cut water use. A tap dripping at the rate of 2 drops per second could be costing you the equivalent of 10,000 litres or £18 per year. If this leak is from a hot water tap, this cost increases six-fold.
Reducing water use can help identify opportunities for improving processes that have been missed by other efficiency initiatives. While wastewater generation is inevitable in any organisation, few managers would claim that every conceivable process improvement had been identified and implemented to reduce it to an absolute minimum. Therefore, having good information about where water is being wasted is vital.
How can I address these issues in my business?
Zero Waste Scotland has recognised that water efficiency is intrinsically linked to resource efficiency and has produced this guide to help organisations assess their current water use, support them through a programme of water minimisation and, ultimately, help them benefit from the associated cost and carbon savings.
Zero Waste Scotland’s Implementing a Water Minimisation Programme - A Guide for Organisations in Scotland takes organisations through a step-by-step programme of improvement. It looks at assessing the baseline through data collection exercises, provides technological solutions to common water issues, presents information on how to collate data and describes how to implement a successful water minimisation action plan and programme. Download this guide here.
The Monitoring Tool can help you to easily record and track where water is being used in your company and analyse your findings.
The Mogden Formula Tool calculates the charges water companies apply to industry for the conveyance and treatment of effluents discharged to the public wastewater network. These charges are based on the limits agreed with the company in its Trade Effluent Consent.
