Greywater Reuse for Business
From irrigation to building maintenance, there are hundreds of ways businesses benefit from reusing greywater. Source for Business will help you identify these opportunities and find a greywater reuse system that meets your needs. The result? Reduced water bills and better environmental outcomes.
What Is a Greywater Reuse System?
A greywater reuse system works by collecting wastewater from business operations, such as process water, sinks in staff areas, or washdown water. The collected water then undergoes treatment for possible re-use.
The treated greywater is ideal for purposes such as toilet flushing or the irrigation of plants. Instead of sending perfectly reusable water into the drains, the system gives it a second use.
A modern greywater system has three main steps:
- Collect business wastewater
- Filter and treat to remove organic matter to decrease health risks
- Store the water and reuse it in irrigation systems, flushing toilets, or for other non-potable uses
Reusing greywater is different to rainwater harvesting. Rather than depending on rainfall, it reuses water you are already using in the day-to-day running of your business.
Business Benefits of Greywater Reuse
As water shortage problems become more frequent throughout the UK, businesses are finding ways to reduce their general water usage. Greywater recycling significantly lowers demands put on potable water supplies for daily applications. Even a small system can save thousands of litres of water each year.
Most businesses will save money by reusing greywater, as they become less reliant on local water networks. There’s also less business wastewater to manage, as this greywater is treated and reused across the site.
An often overlooked benefit of greywater usage is the control you have over your own water supply. Greywater systems can store huge amounts of water. This can be tracked by a water level logger to ensure you know how much you’ve got in your supply.
This is particularly useful for businesses that are impacted by seasonal demand, such as hotels and sporting fields. By storing and monitoring water supplies, you can make informed business decisions.
Greywater reuse reduces water consumption, lowers costs, and makes business operations more sustainable. Source for Business are trusted water retailers, providing expert advice to help you understand how to use greywater safely and efficiently in your business.
We offer:
- Guidance on greywater reuse system options
- Advice on water efficiency and operational savings
- Recommendations for long-term monitoring and maintenance
- Support on compliance and best practices
We help businesses make informed decisions about their water. This ensures greywater is reused effectively and safely.
As well as catching and treating business wastewater, the greywater reuse system distributes it across non-potable applications. Whilst not safe to drink, many businesses find several non-potable water uses at the initial investigation. This includes toilets, irrigation systems, industrial cooling or other operational non-potable uses.
Greywater reuse has useful applications in businesses. It is ideal for anyone wanting to save water, reduce costs, or meet sustainability targets.
Common usages include:
- Garden irrigation - a regular supply of water for the plants
- Flushing toilets - one of the biggest daily water uses
- Landscape watering - parks, sports grounds, and large outdoor spaces
- Cooling of some industrial systems where permitted
- Green roofs and planting areas in commercial buildings
Irrigation is one of the most popular options for greywater reuse because plants respond well to treated greywater.
The most important aspect of any greywater reuse system is treatment. In general, successful greywater treatment and reuse relies on a combination of filtration and disinfection. Source for Business can support you to find a greywater reuse system that meets your business objectives.
These systems can include:
- Mesh filters
- Biological filters
- Simple treatment stages
- Safety-designed storage tanks
- Pumps and pipes for distribution
This setup reduces health risks and keeps the recycled water clean enough for everyday non-potable uses.
The greywater reuse system cost depends on the size of the site, daily water demand, and the type of system being used.
Pricing depends on a number of factors, such as the storage tank size or pumping equipment. The quickest and easiest way to get a quote is to speak to an expert. By identifying your business needs, Source for Business can find a solution that ticks all of the boxes.
We provide clear quotes without hidden charges. Our goal is to find a resourceful way for your business to reuse greywater, save money and improve environmental practice.
Why Choose Greywater Reuse for Irrigation?
Businesses managing land or crops require large amounts of water to grow and maintain plant health. This process is known as irrigation.
Irrigation can occur naturally, for example a nearby river may irrigate the land. However, in some locations there isn’t a natural supply. Using mains water for agricultural purposes like this is expensive and puts extreme pressure on public waterways.
Greywater reuse is one of the easiest and most effective ways to irrigate. Not only does this reduce pressure on mains water and reduce bills, but plants actually respond well to treated greywater. Getting the right system in place is essential, as you need to ensure it provides a regular supply even during dry months.
Reusing greywater outdoors is one of the simplest ways to get long-term value from every litre of water your building uses.
Greywater Systems for Businesses
We support both small and large sites. Our team can help you find a greywater reuse solution that fits your operational needs. Due to the nature of greywater reuse systems and the number of non-potable applications, there are several business sectors can expect a return on investment.
These include:
- Hotels
- Schools
- Sports centres
- Office buildings
- Student housing
- Industrial units
- Retirement homes
We’ve worked across various sectors to install and manage greywater reuse systems. Contact our team to find out how we can support you.
Reusing Greywater Safely
It is your responsibility to ensure greywater is reused safely and doesn’t enter the drinking water systems. Any compliance concerns should be dealt with immediately. This prevents costly fines, downtime and your businesses overall reputation.
As well as guidance on greywater reuse systems, our team can assess your current equipment to ensure it meets a minimal safety standard. We check your system keeps treated greywater separate from potable water (drinking water) and follows UK guidance to prevent cross-contamination.
Our additional services offer peace of mind, reducing risks and costly downtime later.
Environmental Benefits
When you understand the basic principle of greywater reuse, the environmental benefits make sense. Rather than using fresh water from the wholesaler, you are reusing treated wastewater in non-potable uses. Therefore, your business is reducing water usage.
Obviously, water conservation is good for sustainability objectives. But that’s not the only way a greywater reuse system can support your environmental objectives. As well as putting less pressure on the water wholesalers, you’re reducing the amount of wastewater and effluent you produce and creating a constant cycle of non-potable water supplies during shortages.
Garden centres, sports fields, farms and irrigation systems rely on a constant water supply for day-to-day operations. By reusing greywater, they save hundreds of thousands of litres every year. But it’s not just industrial businesses that achieve environmental objectives by recycling greywater. Officers, retailers, schools and hotels are just some of the businesses that can support sustainable objects with greywater reuse. Even small systems make a meaningful difference.
FAQ - Greywater Reuse Systems
Greywater is essentially business wastewater that hasn’t been contaminated with food, oils or chemicals. This can come from showers, baths, and bathroom basins. It can be treated and reused for things like flushing toilets or watering plants.
A greywater reuse system collects wastewater from places like showers or baths. It then treats the water, ensuring it’s safe for non-potable use such as flushing toilets. Every greywater system has a storage tank, enabling it to store an amount of treated greywater before sending it to non-potable applications.
Greywater is safe to use for non-potable applications. However, it must be kept separate from drinking water supplies. Source for Business can help you identify where you can, and can’t, reuse greywater for safe business operations.
Greywater can be used for non-potable applications. This includes flushing toilets, which typically accounts for almost 25% of all indoor water consumption. It can also be used for irrigation and landscape gardening, cooling towers and to washdown industrial or warehouse floors.
Contact Source for Business to find out how your business can reduce your water bill by reusing greywater.
Costs depend on tank size, filters, and site layout. We provide clear quotes based on your needs.
Yes. Greywater reuse reduces the amount of mains water you buy and the amount of wastewater you send to treatment. This can substantially reduce water bills, particularly in larger sites.
No. Simple checks and filter cleaning keep the system running well.
Yes, greywater reuse system UK installations are becoming more common in both homes and businesses.
No. Kitchen sinks carry food waste and fats, which are not suitable for greywater systems.
The amount of water saved depends on the business type, size, and how greywater is reused. While exact figures vary, businesses that implement greywater reuse can significantly reduce their mains water consumption.
Start Saving Water with a Greywater Reuse System
Source for Business are a five star rated water retailer, supporting over 160,000 businesses across the UK to manage and maintain their water usage. Greywater reuse systems are just one of the ways we help people like you meet operational standards.
By saving wastewater and using it across applications like flushing toilets or landscape watering, you’ll reduce your total water bill. Depending on your water use, this could save thousands in the long run.
But it’s not just cost-saving benefits, greywater reused reduces your reliance on the national water supply. This has proven crucial to businesses that rely on a constant, year-round supply in their operations.
Our team are on hand to offer advice on greywater reusage and, more importantly, whether it’s a good fit for your business. Get in touch to find out more.