Safety first

Use the safest source of greywater wherever possible. The safest greywater is from the rinse cycle in your washing machine. The wash cycle is the next safest, followed by bath or shower water.

 It’s a good idea to stop using greywater if somebody in the household is sick with a stomach bug, measles or the flu as this can increase the risk of other people becoming ill.

Don’t store greywater more than 24 hours. Divert water directly to the garden – this means whenever you shower or wash clothes, your garden is watered. Whilst it’s tempting to store the water in a drum or tub to use later, this is risky because bacteria in greywater can multiply rapidly.

Children and pets

Keep water safely out of reach of children, dogs and people. Use greywater on the roots of plants and the best irrigation system are piped underground  (often using Agri Pipe or similar), although some people also use drip irrigation or put piping under mulch.

Avoid spraying or hosing with greywater – this just spreads the chemicals and bacteria around and can burn your plants

Keeping food healthy

Food that is eaten raw should not be watered with greywater. Cooking helps protect against harmful bacteria that may end up on the surface of the plants. Gardeners who cultivate native plants need to choose laundry detergents very carefully. Make sure you buy low-phosphorous detergents, as some natives are extremely sensitive to high phosphorus levels.

Using quality water

All plants will need laundry detergents with low salt levels (liquid detergents generally have less salts). Too much salt is bad for you and your garden so

• choose garden friendly detergents and cleaners - low salt, low phosphorous and biodegradable. Check the labels before buying these products
• turn your greywater diverter off when cleaning, bleaching or washing heavily soiled items like dirty nappies.

Set up your irrigation system to cover as large an area as possible. The larger the area you can spread the water over the better – it dilutes any nutrients and salts in the water.

Protect local creeks and environment

Greywater must not run off your property to the street or your neighbours’ property. Your neighbours have the right to lodge a complaint with your local council if it does.

Allow a strip of land between your irrigation system and the edge of your property. Make sure irrigation is underground, drip or under mulch to keep it safely away from people and pets.