How to recycle rainwater

Excellent for laundry, housework, and cooking. But also for watering the vegetable patch and garden. Less waste and greater savings. Municipalities offering incentives for recycling.

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how to recycle rainwater
Once upon a time, it was said: it's raining, the government is thieving. Now, with climate change having completely disrupted the seasonal calendar, we can say: it's raining, let's get to work. In the sense that therain water, especially where water resources are scarce, truly represents a precious resource if we can recycle it in one of the many possible ways. Cleaning floors, dishes in the kitchen, and of thecars. But also washing laundry and refilling the toilet. You need to be aware of one thing: with rainwater you can do and wash everything in the house. And even outside, that is, you can water the plants and grow thegarden. Without spending a single euro on consumption.

Benefits

Just to give you an idea of ​​how much savings are hidden behind the recovery of rainwater, keep in mind that the washing a car translates, on average, into a consumption of 150 liters of waterWhy waste it and consume it through the taps? Every family can cover 50 percent of their water needs by collecting rainwater. That's a lot. With some collateral benefits, both domestic and general.

House cleaning and car washing

La washing machineFor example, it works better with rainwater than with running water. And as for the exterior, recycling rainwater reduces wastewater disposal and purification costs. It therefore embodies a lifestyle inspired by true, not just theoretical, sustainability.

The recycling and reuse of rainwater, which would also help address drought problems, also includes other uses for rain. For example:
  • Rainwater, containing less limescale, is ideal for cleaning any appliance, including washing machines and dishwashers.
  • Even personal hygiene can be taken care of with rainwater.
  • Rainwater can be used for air conditioners and heat pumps.

Many ancient civilizations considered precipitation auspicious because they lacked water networks. Today, however, rain is an alternative to running water and can replace it in a variety of activities, and it has very interesting characteristics. In fact, it contains a low quantity of limestone and is chlorine-free., two features that allow it to delay the wear and tear of the toilet and household appliances and reduce the risk of breakdowns: hence, for example, the recommendation to use it for the washing machine.

Recycling plant

To benefit from the advantages ofrain water we can install small ones storage tanks, thanks to which it is first filtered and then, through the decantation process, purified. Alternatively, we can use a do-it-yourself method making one bottle with a built-in funnelTo get it, we need to get two plastic bottles, with their respective caps, and some insulating tape. We cut the upper part of the caps, so that only the rings remain and join the pin, overlapping them, using duct tape to screw them onto the necks of the bottles. At this point, all we have to do is place the resulting bottle in the rain collection area. Thanks to this simple method, we reduce the use of drinking water, limiting it to strictly necessary cases.

Bonus for rainwater recovery systems

A rainwater system, easy to install on a surface of our property, allows you to reduce domestic water consumption by up to 50 percentAnd it can benefit from a tax deduction of up to 65 percent, with a maximum ceiling of 30 euros, which covers both the system and the masonry work where it is installed.

Municipalities that encourage rainwater harvesting

As Gianfranco Becciu, professor of Hydraulic Construction at the Polytechnic University of Milan, points out, one in ten Italian municipalities has incentives in its regulations for those who recycle rainwater. And according to his calculations, over 50 percent of our domestic water consumption could come from rainwater. At no cost, especially for washing clothes and floors, cooking, and watering plants.

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