We use approximately 10% of indoor water in the kitchen, and it’s easy to cut down. It takes simple changes of habit to save hundreds of litres of water every day. A lot of water than you use in the kitchen can be saved and reused for gardens or indoor plants.

Tips for saving water in the kitchen:

Washing up

• Buy a water efficient dishwasher if you can – they can cut average water use by half.
• Completely fill your dishwasher before running it – save up to 1 576 litres a month.
• Use the economy setting on your dishwasher – save up to 4 litres a load.
• When rinsing dishes or washing fruit, use the plug and half fill the sink or basin instead of letting the tap run – you can save 7 litres a minute.
• When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink with soapy water and another sink or basin with rinsing water instead of rinsing under a running tap - you can save 7 litres a minute.
• If you need to run the tap for hot water, collect the cold water for reuse.
• Soak your pots and pans to remove foods, rather than scraping them under running water - you can save 7 litres a minute.
• Minimise the use of a garbage disposal unit – they can use up to 30 litres of water a day and send extra rubbish to sewage treatment plants. Rather compost your vegetable scraps and use to enrich your garden.

Cooking and drinks

• Keep a jug of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap for cold water.
• Don’t thaw food using running water.
• Don’t use oversized saucepans – they waste water.
• Save the nutrient rich water from cooking vegetables to water your garden.
• Place unused ice cubes in your pot plants or garden.