CCW survey lifts lid on water-wasting toilet habits

A survey by the consumer watchdog, CCW, has, it claimed, revealed “unusual and often wasteful” water use habits in UK homes.

Findings included: one person in five in England and Wales run the tap to drown out the sound of them using the toilet while nearly half of the people surveyed said once they had finished using the toilet they took a shower.

CCW said it was using its findings “to help shine a light on ways people can save water and play their part in easing pressure on water resources.”

According to CCW’s report on its findings, Lifting the Lid: The Secrets of Our Water Habits, some of the most common habits included flushing the toilet twice after taking a poo (90%), using the washing machine or dishwasher when it was not full (67%), taking a bath or shower to cool down (66%), washing an item of clothing that wasn’t dirty (65%), staying in the bath so long it needed topping up with warm water (59%) and killing a plant by overwatering it (58%).

Taking a shower immediately after a bath (21%), having three or more baths/showers a day (20%) and running the shower to get creases out of clothes (15%) were some of the less common behaviours people said they had displayed at least once.

CCW said it drew optimism from finding that more than six out of ten people (63%) felt they could be more water efficient, “with 18 to 34 year olds particularly conscious of the need to save water – despite displaying some of the most wasteful habits.”

Karen Gibbs, Senior Leader for the Environment at CCW, said: “Our findings reveal is that many of us are wasting water without even realising.” She added: “It’s up to the water sector to help guide households towards simple actions that can make a big difference when it comes to saving water.”