Toilet Flushing and Water Loss in the United Kingdom - Coursework Example

Toilet Flushing and Water Loss in United Kingdom Lecturer Due Introduction Scientists believe that 70% of the world is covered with water. Water sustains all life; every living thing depends on water in one way or another. Water serves many purposes and assists in very many daily activities including domestic activities. Homes use close to 93% of water indoors for activities such as bathing, cooking, toilets, and cleaning (Lazarova, 2005). Toilet flushing, which is one of the main domestic water activities, refers to the act of pouring water into the toilet basin in order to clean it. In the United Kingdom, toilet flushing holds the second largest percentage of domestic water consumption, which is 30% of the total 93% (Lazarova, 2005). The discussion below describes the purpose and aim of the research study while the literature review gives an insight into he toilet flushing issue in the United Kingdom. A review of past researches carried out describes the problem related to water consumption as a result of toilet flushing. The project involves an interview carried out in order to reveal the views of the public based on toilet flushing. A section of the essay includes an empirical focus, which provides interview results that explain the views of the nation’s public. Results and data analysis show that the U.K truly faces a water problem. However, several recommendations provide solutions that aid in resolving the water consumption problem. Purpose and Aim The first principle of this research study is to show a link between the toilet flushing problem and the daily consumption of water in the U.K. The water sustainable consumption theory states that toilet flushing affects the sustainability of water. Solutions need to be instigated in order to control the situation. The research study’s aims include identifying the problem, which is ineffective toilet flushing in United Kingdom (Lazarova, 2005). The text discusses several aspects revolving around the crisis including what causes the problem. It also develops solutions such as replacing old toilets with dual flush toilets, installation of ES4 and government intervention. Why the UK The United Kingdom faces a water consumption issue Toilet flushing creates a huge crisis leading to loss of water, which poses as a great threat to water sustainability in the nation. People need to create awareness about the issue before it gets out of hand. A review of the situation’s background information indicates the need to study the United Kingdom toilet flushing problem. Method 1.1 Design The following study involves an interview carried out with the aim of gathering data on how toilet flushing relates to a number of people. This research study involves a qualitative analysis of how people use toilets in the United Kingdom. The interviewees constitute five members of our class. The exercise takes a period of five hours commencing at eight a.m. to one p.m. The researcher takes notes on what he or she learns. Finally, a data analysis of results occurs. 1.2 Procedure Interviewees arrive at the venue at 7 30 a.m. The interviewer orientates the members and gives them a brief overview of the exercise. The interviewer calls upon the first interviewee. Each session takes a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 40 minutes The exercise concludes at 1 p.m. 1.3 Interview What toilet practices do you carry out in your everyday life? How often do you use the toilet? Is it possible to live hygienically without modern toilets? What sort of social factors associate with the issue? Are people aware that toilet flushing leads to consumption of large amounts of water? What type of toilet system have you installed? What type of toilet system causes water wastage? Are institution toilets properly maintained? Is there a possibility of reducing amount of water used in toilet flushing? How does infrastructure associate with toilet flushing? Do you know of ways of water conservation such as recycling toilet water? Do you know that toilet flushing can link with water sustainable consumption? Do some societies use more water for toilet flushing? 1.4 Results Out of the five students, all had similar toilet practices; every one of them found it appropriate to flush the toilet as they saw it as a hygienic practice. An individual uses the toilet approximately ten times a day for both long calls and short calls. Four of them flush the toilet after use; however, one flushes the toilet both before and after use. The students believe modern toilets are the most hygienic way of disposing of human waste. It reduces water pollution, air pollution, and land pollution. Furthermore, modern toilets are convenient and comfortable to use. Biologically, human beings remove waste material from the body after process of digestion. To avert the increase in diseases such as cholera and typhoid, people need to properly dispose of waste. A hygienic community considers modern toilets as the most efficient way. The interviewees believe that modern toilets give a sense of modernity and hygiene in a home; it is a necessity. Only two of the students knew that the toilet flushing issue is among the top most ineffective methods of water consumption. The students viewed toilet flushing as a normal activity that does not lead to water wastage, but as a way to ensure cleanliness and healthy sanitization. Three of the students had the old toilet system installed in their homes. However, two of the students had the dual flush toilet installed. In relation to their school, the management is not aware that most toilets leak water and are faulty. The students believe that one cannot live without using the toilet, but through maintenance and few practical adjustments the problem can be solved. The students believe that the toilet structures depend on how the manufacturer designs the system. The students responded both positively and negatively based on using recycled water. Two students believe that using recycled water is a better way of conserving water especially if it is from the bathroom or shower. However, three of the interviewees regard recycled water as dirty water. They believe it is unsuitable and unhygienic (Cisneros, 2008). All five students know that toilet flushing links to water sustainable consumption. Finally, two of the students knew that the Asian community uses more toilet water than other cultures. 1.5 Limitations Time is one of the huge limitations of qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis requires a large amount of time to collect data. It also requires a large amount of time due to substance examination as a result of the varied nature of responses. The second limitation involves varied answers given by interviewees. This may lead to confusion and occurs as a result of unstructured open questions given by the interviewer. Time limitation leads to the collection of fewer amounts of data that leads to incomplete conclusions. Literature Review Statistical surveys conducted in United Kingdom show that the toilet usage consumes 34% of water dedicated to households. The pie chart below shows the daily water level consumptions in Wales and England: (Consumer facts in Europe, 2001) From the chart above, the Kitchen consumes the largest amount of domestic water using about 42%. This is followed by toilet flushing, which consumes up to 34% of water dedicated for domestic purposes. Toilet flushing is followed by showers and bathroom water consumption, and finally, external uses that are the least. Toilet flushing consumes large amounts water, but being an unavoidable activity there is a lower likelihood that it will change. The United Kingdom ranked first with 51% in water consumption due to toilet flushing (Consumers in Europe, 2001). UK consumes 13 to 21 litres of water used for toilet flushing, which is higher compared to other regions (Steves, 2013). This could be caused by greater per capita flushing of toilets; one person flushes the toilet many times. The second causative agent could be larger volumes of flushes, which utilize more water than new systems. Through interviews, most people still use the old toilet system. Despite how similar toilets may seem, toilets have different sizes with some small other big. Older toilets possess larger cisterns compared to modern cisterns. Water consumption in the past as a result of toilet flushing was higher than present day. Social practice theory interviews reveal that most people flush the toilet after use as they consider it as a hygienic practice. They society believes that toilets assist in waste sanitization in order to reduce diseases. However, most people ignore water conservation methods and fewer people are aware that changing one’s toilet system can save more water (Roulston, 2010). In the United Kingdom, toilets use 30% of the total amount of water in a simple household (Gray, 1994). There is an approximate of 45 million toilets consuming two billion litres of fresh water every day. Out of the forty-five million toilets, seven million are old models that consume 13 litres of water for every toilet flush (Gray, 1994). The area has only installed five million modern, efficient, dual flush toilets which use six litres of water per toilet flush. According to the Online Mail News, the European Commission conducted a comprehensive study based on toilet habits in Europe. The results show that the United Kingdom used the flush toilet most times consuming 1, 125 million litres of water in 2010, followed by Italy and German at 1, 021 million litres. They also found out that toilets consume a quarter of all domestic water. Through data analysis, researchers found out that the behavioural variance led to the difference in toilet water consumption around Europe. People have different latrine etiquette hence the difference in consumption levels. The graph below represents toilet flushing water consumption in UK as at 2001 from 1940. From graphical data above there is a decrease in toilet water consumption as a result of the cistern replacement. Before 2001, toilets used siphoning as a method of flushing. It was a conservative way of preventing water leakage; however, the cistern consumed large amounts water. Cisterns held up to 13 litres of water, which is a lot of water (Ofwat, 2007). After 2001, people switched to the valve cistern that required less amount of water, but leaking is its greatest disadvantage. Both toilet systems bear shortcomings that lead to loss and wastage of water. The group launched a study involving 500 households that reported cases of high water bills. Out of the five hundred homes in West Hampshire, thirty one homes identified leaking valves as the source of water loss (Ofwat, 2007). Institutions such as schools and work-places use an even greater quantity of water since more people are involved. The number of toilets in public regions also increases the rate of water consumption due to facilities such as urinals. Demographic statistics shows a rise in population of people in cities. This factor will lead to a rise in the population settling in the city building more houses; the more the toilets, the bigger the problem. Poor maintenance of cisterns leads to water loss in many homes and institutions. A low pressure cistern leads to numerous flushes per toilet visitation. In public institutions, where damages go unnoticed for several days, account for a large percentage of water loss in the area. Partial flushing poses as another reason for the toilet flushing water consumption problem (Joyce, 2005). For this to occur, a weak flapper could be a problem. A weak flap leads to partial flushing of the toilet. The flapper is a rubber ball that floats on water, which closes the valve linking the cistern and the water source (Joyce, 2005). However, if the flapper gets water logged less water gets into the cistern leading to a half full toilet tank. This condition forces one to flush the toilet more than once to entirely clean the basin. Studies also show that the condition referred to as phantom filling leads to water wastage (Joyce, 2005). This occurs when the toilet tank fills with water even when one is not flushing it. This makes flushes weak. A leaking flapper leads to the development of this condition. Just like the previous flushing problem, phantom filling leads to water wastage due to numerous flushes with the attempt to clean the toilet. Finally, clogging is another problem associated with toilet flushing system. Clogs may form as a result of objects such as toilet paper, or garbage flushed down the toilet (Joyce, 2005). This condition causes water to rise in the bowl after one flushes the toilet. Water spills on the floor leading. This leads to wastage of water, therefore, leading to the issue at hand. United Kingdom households face some of these problems with relation to old toilets. The factors studied stand as some of the causes of the toilet flushing water consumption problem in the United Kingdom. Empirical Focus Data analysis Based on scientific information, the average human being visits the toilet close to ten times a day. This explains the similarity in the total number of times the students use the facility. Different cultural practices lead to a variety of toilet practices (Blatt, 2005). Communities which regard cleanliness as an important aspect of life tend to carry out practices which promote cleanliness. To some cultures, it is imperative for them to clean toilets after use (Greed, 2005).People who fear infections and like clean places flush the toilet before and after use just to be confident it is clean. However, most people usually flush the toilet after use. A modern toilet, where the flushing system cleans the basin allows proper disposal and sanitization of human waste. People believe that the modern toilet is the best and most convenient asset to use (Teh, 2013). People consider it as a necessity. Through use of chemicals, it can be disinfected to kill germs and bacteria. Office of the Public Health and medical practitioners support use of the modern toilet; for this reason most people ignore fact that toilets consume large amounts of water. The lack of understanding prevents people from switching to valve cisterns, which consume a reduced amount of water. If people knew that old siphon toilets consume large amounts of water, most people would switch to dual flush toilet. Through lack of knowledge, most institution managements fail to closely follow up on sanitation maintenance hence the damaged toilets in schools and places of work. It is impossible to live without removal of unwanted material from the body. Modern toilets are the best way to dispose the unwanted material without causing any health problems (Teh, 2013). Toilet water is part of water used around the household; therefore, toilet flushing links to water sustainable consumption. Asians use more toilet water as they use it to wash off the dirt instead of using toilet paper. However, water conservation is also an important aspect. Through implementing certain measures, toilet flushing can still consume a reduced amount of water. Empirical evidence Human beings mainly use the toilet due to biological needs. The body needs to excrete and remove all unnecessary by-products after digestion; at home or work people use toilets for excretion purposes. There is no huge difference between what people do with toilets at home and work. Intensity is the only variance between home toilets and industrial toilets; businesses tend to use more water compared to individual homes. Scientific reviews show that the normal human beings use the toilet three times for long calls and ten times for short calls (Greed, 2003). According to the Public Health recommendations, one should flush the toilet immediately after use. This practice is common with most people while some the Asian community uses water instead of toilet paper. Constraints that may affect toilet flushing include lack of water or break down in the toilet system. People believe that modern toilets provide a sanitized way of dealing with human waste and prefer them to other forms of waste disposal. People use them for convenience, hygiene, and proper disposal of waste. They consider flushing toilet system as the hallmark of modern infrastructure (Teh, 2013). Most modern homes have a toilet and in some cases more than one. On the other hand, organizations and social institutions build larger washrooms where water consumption is much higher (Sparke, 2009). Through interviews some people believe despite it being a hygienic practice, people and organizations should install smaller toilets that need less water to function. Scientists recommend that people should visit the toilet only when need arises. Through this concept, people minimise rate of toilet usage to conserve water. The European Union proposes that cities and estate owners should install low consumption toilets. This is a feasible reason compared to the impossible part where people cannot stop using toilets. An interview carried out in England and Wales states that out of 300 interviewed households, 89% advocated for the use of recycled water to flush toilets. However, if the water came from other homes, the percentage decreased to 50% (Cisneros, 2008). These interview results share similar concepts compared to the background information retrieved from past analysis. Recommendations The state, society, and organizations need to develop water conservation ways while dealing with toilets. Developing solutions to deal with toilet flushing problem in the United Kingdom assists in lowering water consumption and wastage hence conserving water. Water conservation assists in providing other sections of the environment with clean and fresh water for survival. The government should create and implement laws that limit commercial and industrial property owners to fit in 1.6 litre cisterns (Hart, 2010). If one’s property consists of toilets consuming more than 1.6 litres of water, it needs to be replaced and inspected before the property is sold. Through such measures by the state and fines due to lack of complying with the law, the government prevents and controls the amount of water used to flush toilets. The ministry of water and sewerage should produce monthly records based on water consumption in order to create awareness about amount of water used in toilets (Health Aspects of Plumbing, 2006). Water conservation procedure depends on such information in order to monitor trends and rectify any deviations from the actual target. Homes should replace old toilets with new dual flush toilets. Dual flush toilets have both a siphon and a valve system that allows a toilet to use less water when flushed. Through the dual flush, homesteads can use less water as compared to the old siphon toilet. Dual flush toilets use close to a minimum of 4.5 litres of water per flush (Boyce, 1998). However, this set up depends on the user. The main advantage of the dual flush is that it allows the user to regulate the amount of water used while flushing the toilet. Other cisterns allow a flush interruption after the pan is clean. While others allow the user to select necessary flush volume required to clean the toilet. Fitting toilet facilities with modern flush devices, results in eight percent decrease in total domestic water consumption hence conserving water. Most public institutions install urinals for men and a number of toilets for women. With urinals being the main focus of this recommendation, unrestrained urinal flushing leads to loss of large volumes of water. Many urinals flush continuously and at a higher rate than regulated (Hills, 1995). The solution to this problem involves fitting urinals with controllers or not fitting a flushing system at all. Most institutions employ the waterless urinal, but still handles odour and eliminates any blockages. Installation of infrared detectors allows the facility to flush only when an individual uses it. Synchronizing cisterns with timers can be another method of control. The timer is set to let out water after a specified period (Gibson, 2012). Through such processes, large firms can control and decrease the amount of water lost as a consequence of uncontrolled flashing. Finally, people can install the ES4 that sets water efficient standards for toilets. This is a leak free flushing technology developed in Britain and Sweden (Tebbutt, 1998). It is a sturdy, dual flush and 4 litre holder toilet that reduces the amount of water used while flushing toilets. The ES4 allows domestic homes and institutions to regulate and save the amount of water used in toilets. Conclusion To prevent cases of lack of awareness and information relevant to this issue, the media should put more effort to inform the community about the toilet flushing problem in the United Kingdom. The study meets its objectives through explaining the toilet flushing issue in the United Kingdom and also describes some of the causative factors that lead to it. The interview experiment shows that a percentage of the public does not yet realise the effect of toilet flushing and still uses the old toilet systems. From the empirical evidence and the literature review, it is apparent that toilet flushing stands as a threat to water consumption in Europe. If left unattended the situation can lead to uncontrollable water wastage. Therefore, the public and the government should aim at implementing the recommendations stated above in order to ensure efficient conservation of water. Finally, the British government intends to resolve the issue and eventually terminate it. 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