Check out the sign I saw.

Not to be rude, but do men from Peru know where to pee in a bathroom?

After snapping my photo and pondering if Peruvian men truly need that much guidance, I left the bathroom and mentioned what I had seen to my wife and mother-in-law.

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Waterless urinals have been mentioned on Green Options before (here and here) but a recent innovation has earned them a brand new entry. As those who've used one can attest to, they usually aren't pleasant to the nose, but now Carome has brought out a new odorless model: the H2Zero. Waterless urinals save the average office 2.3 million litres of water a year, and now people might not get nauseous using them!

The H2Zero™ Cube waterless urinal operates utilising unique patented cartridge technology that doesn't use an oil-based seal as used in traditional waterless urinals. Housed within the cartridge the Bio Fresh deodorising block is activated during use, while the Bio Seal™ allows urine to pass through the seal freely. The Bio Seal™ acts as a one-way air-tight valve to seal the cartridge from the drainage system and against back-pressure situations. This operation guarantees consistently superior performance and hygiene compared to other waterless urinals.

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Random Good Stuff

Talk about flushing money and scarce resources down the drain. Toilets are big users of water in the home, but there are ways that we can minimize the waste and improve water conservation.

The first thing you'll want to do is check for leaks. Add a few drops of food coloring into the tank and check the bowl for color over the following 30 minutes. If you do find that water is leaking from the tank into the toilet bowl when it's not in use, get it fixed.

Don't use your toilet as a trash can. It seems rather obvious, but that's what a trash can is for. When you toss tissues and other waste in the toilet with the sole purpose to flush it, you are wasting water.

Reduce the amount of water used by installing a displacement device. This sounds fancy, but can really just be a plastic bottle filled with pebbles or water, placed inside the tank. Make sure you don't place it where it will disturb the "mechanics" of the tank. And although you might have heard otherwise, don't use a brick. Bricks dissolve over time and will cause more problems in the end.

So how much water does a typical "normal" toilet use? If it's a pre-1980s toilet, you're most likely using 5 to 7 gallons per flush. Post-1980s, 3.5 gallons per flush. Compare that to the new low-flow toilets that only use 1.6 gallons each time.

When remodeling, install a low flow toilet. Many municipalities even offer rebates for households that install low-flow toilets. Check with your local authorities to find any existing program and if you qualify. If you have boys in the house, you might even want to consider installing a waterless urinal. That's much more useful than the bidet so many of us have taking up room in the bathroom!

Rebecca says: This post was inspired by Graham Hill of Treehugger having the guts to write "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" in this month's green issue of Domino magazine. Thanks for making me squirm enough to continue spreading the word.

Resources:

Earth 911

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (pdf)