I’m always surprised when I visit friends in Singapore and realise that many homes still don’t have low-flow or high-efficiency toilets. Many people don’t want to spend the money to make this upgrade, or they live in rented homes so don’t see much benefit in making this investment.

But, according to the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore’s national water agency, 16% of the water we use in our homes is quite literally flushed down our toilets.

If you would like to do your part to conserve water without upgrading your toilets, you can use a toilet tank displacer. In case you haven’t heard of this before, a displacement system is something that takes up space in your toilet tank so that when you flush, there isn’t as much space to refill with water. Some companies sell their own versions, such as The Tank Bank, but many of these options aren’t available in Singapore. Plus, why buy something when you can make an equally effective version yourself?


Instructions

• Grab a used 1L plastic bottle and remove any labels.

• Fill it with sand or pebbles, and seal it tightly.

• Flush your toilet so the water in the tank drains and then place the bottle inside.

• Make sure that it is in a corner, away from the operating mechanisms.

• Flush your toilet once more to make sure that the plastic bottle doesn't move and that it doesn't interfere with any of the mechanisms.

Note: Don't fill the bottle with only water, as it won't stay still and will bang around and hit the operating mechanisms in your toilet.

By using a one-litre tank displacer, you will save one litre of water every time you flush. Multiply that by the number of times your family uses the toilet each day and the money saved will just multiply. The best part about this is that it's a 'leave-it-and-forget-about-it' eco-upgrade.

Small steps like these lead to big impacts!

_{This post was originally published on My Pure Earth Blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.
Edited by Nedda Chaplin
Image credit: Opened door with toilet room from Shutterstock}

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