A hot summer makes us mindful of conserving water to avoid droughts and hosepipe bans. Although the reality is that rain in the winter and spring filled the UK’s reservoirs and supplies are good despite the longest dry spell in the UK for 40 years. However, reducing the amount of water we use (and waste) now will protect against future droughts.
Whether or not water is an immediate scarcity, the UK has a pretty bad track record on water saving measures and there are excessive leaks and poor water efficiency throughout the water network. Businesses and water suppliers are all accountable to protect water, but individuals have a responsibility to be mindful of their own water use too. If you needed a nudge in the right direction to be a good water citizen, here are 11 things you may not know about water…
- 97% of all the water on the earth is salt water, which is not suitable for drinking. Only 3% of all the water is fresh water – but only 1% is available for drinking as 2% of the available freshwater sources is locked in ice caps and glaciers
- Although the UK has a good amount of rainfall, there aren’t good methods for water storage. This means that there is a relatively small volume of water available per person in the UK
- Demand for water in the UK is growing at a steady rate of 1% per year
- People in the UK use an average of 150 litres of water per day (our great grandparents used around 18 litres a day)
- Collectively, businesses in the UK consume 1300 million cubic metres of water per year
- A garden hose or sprinkler can use nearly as much water in just one hour as an average family of four uses in one day
- An average roof in the UK collects about 85,000 litres of rain in a year. That could fill 450 water butts with water
- UK water companies collect, treat and pump around 18 billion litres of water every day
- 70% of all freshwater is used to produce the food we eat
- 58 bathtubs of water are used per person per day to make the food we eat and the things we buy
- Reducing our use of water reduces the energy needed to process and deliver it so conserving water has a wider environmental impact too
Rabbit is committed to reducing waste and supporting recycling efforts. Contact Rabbit today for more information skip hire, recycling and plant hire. Reach us on 01903 762020 or email info@rabbitgroup.co.uk.
