The Selective Flush - "If It's Yellow..."
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05.10.07
A few weeks back we posted on the water-saving technique known as the Navy Shower. At the time, we briefly wondered whether the topic was right for TreeHugger, given many of our readers' interests in high-end, design-oriented sustainability solutions. The response, however, was huge - it seems many of you are also interested in those simple lifestyle changes that can shave so much off of your eco-footprint. It is in this spirit, then, that we now post on another simple action which can greatly reduce water shortage, and which will be familiar to many of you. Unlike the Navy Shower, this one doesn't appear to have a name, so, for now, we'll call it the Selective Flush (we'd be happy to hear some more imaginitive suggestions). The technique is probably best known by the phrase "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down." That's right - we are talking about the simple act of refraining from flushing the toilet each time you pee. In our experience, this habit tends to provoke strong oppinions, either for or against. Some see it as absolutely second nature, and argue that peeing in drinking water is a little obscene anyway, meanwhile others are inclined to find it revolting. A little while back Ken Livingstone, the always controversial Mayor of London, attracted strong criticism for advocating that Londoners should think before they flush. The Conservative Party's Spokesperson for the Environment argued at the time that the Mayor was going too far:
"Water use is clearly an important issue but the Mayor is being a tad alarmist with his request that Londoners do not flush the toilet unless it is absolutely necessary. If the issue of water usage is so great that we have to consider such unappealing solutions then why has the Mayor waited so long to act."
We recognise that this isn't going to catch on among everyone, but the more people open to trying it, the less social stigma will be attached. For those of you brave enough, we'd recommend a gentle start to ease the transition for any less-than-enthusiastic housemates/partners/visiting relatives. For example, you could start by flushing every other time, or only not flushing at night (thereby avoiding any conflict during surprise visits from the in-laws). It may also be worth keeping an eye on the weather - if it's hot, we say it may be worth allowing yourself that little extra flush (go crazy - you've earned it!).
Of course the Selective Flush can be used alongside low-flow toilets, increasing your water saving even further (check out this link for reviews of the best models). And those wanting to know more about water saving of all kinds, check out TreeHugger's guide on How to Green Your Water.
Is this kind of behavior just the norm at your house, or are you recoiling in absolute disgust right now? We'd love to know...
Image courtesy of Trainspotting. If used in moderation, the Selective Flush should not create anywhere near such drastic results!
If it's dark out. I just go out into the backyard.
Men, of course, are at liberty to pee in the sink, provided they clean up after themselves. Takes a lot of rinsing to watch 1.5L spiral down the drain.
This approach has failed to gain much traction in our household, as it seems to require more frequent cleaning of the toilet.
A more effective way for readers to conserve water, oddly, is purchasing wind power. That is because roughly 250,000 gallons of water a year is used in the generation of electricity for the average U.S. household.
For info on green power suppliers, see "Your Electric Choices" at www.green-e.org. This site includes a clickable map of the U.S. which will show you the choices in your state.
If you don't feel that you can afford to go 100% wind, a very inexpensive option is to buy 10% or 20%. For the average household, the cost will be 5-10 cents a day . . .
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org
Our household of two tends to do this intermittantly. We often don't flush at night (which is also partly a courtesy to spare each other or the upstairs neighbors the noisy flush), and I tend to especially avoid flushing if I can barely tell anything's there -- pardon the imagery. That's on my list of things to implement more officially when we have another "greening the apartment" conversation. That and finally getting around to putting a brick in the tank.
I've been doing this since my college years in the early 90's. Now that I own a house and actually have to pay water bills, it's even more beneficial to me. I try to keep bathroom water pretty low-use - I also take "Navy showers" and actually time the water usage to 3 minutes (which gives me plenty of time to clean every single part of my body).
I definitely think this sort of post and the post about Navy showers are useful and important for this website. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who can't afford to spend money on small tubs of $60 "eco-friendly" face cream, tiny LED lamps that cost in the hundreds of dollars, or $50+ for "sustainable" t-shirts, especially on a city government paycheck. But I'm very passionate about minimizing my impact. My favorite posts are usually the ones that don't recommend spending thousands of dollars. Even if I already practice a lot of what those posts preach, it's great to see them reinforced and broadcast to potential new audiences.
Is it norm @your house/ are you recoiling in disgust... we'd love to know....
Forgive me, but is this really the best we can do?? Yes I'm recoiling in disgust. We do everything we can to take the toxins out of our home. Whoever came up with this is out of their mind. If you really want to save drinking water, turn off the d**n faucet while in between rinsing while showering, brushing teeth, rinsing dishes, and install a water saving device in an old toilet that uses more water than necessary. Not to mention the stench that we've just been asked to live with. Give me a break.
Toxins? Stench?
Your urine is very different from mine, I guess.
Urine is pretty sterile and non-toxic and doesn't smell much at all.
Maybe you don't drink enough water if yours is different.
Why can't we have toilets with different modes of flushing:
Number One: Small Flush
Number Two: Normal Flush
The Big One: Electric Power Blades + Ultra Flush
"is this really the best we can do?? "
I don't think you realize just how much water this save for one person, and how much it would save if more people did it. Especially for those who don't have low-flow toilets yet (many many people).
Think about it.. How many times do you flush a day? Multiply that by 365 and by the number of people in your house and that's a huge quantity..
You could also buy a dual-flush toilet, which uses very little water for a #1 flush, more for a #2 flush.
I agree that "selective flushing" does indeed leave the toilet requiring more cleaning more often, which given the caustic nature of most toilet cleaning products, can't be good for the environment.
Instead, I have a double-flush toilet. One button (and a quarter flush) for number ones, another button (with a full flush) for number twos. And I still "let it mellow" at least once before I flush, even with the "pee flush".
I do the same as SarahH. If I can barely tell the toilet's been used, I don't bother flushing. Likewise, if I've just blown my nose and thrown the used tissue (actually, toilet paper--I avoid buying tissues) into the toilet, I don't bother flushing.
Incidentally, I remember practicing selective flushing when I was a kid. I must have read about it somewhere and gotten it into my head that it was a great thing to do. My mom eventually put a stop to it, though, because of the smell.
We've been doing this for years, and have taught our kids to do the same. The only major downside is it does promote growth if you leave it there all day every day, so we flush at night after we are ready for bed and in the morning after we are done getting ready for work. So we are twice-a-day-flushers.
No, it doesn't smell. Unless we forget to flush and it sits all day when its hot, and the A/C isn't on because you are trying to save electricity, too. I can't even see it because we often put the seat down after use. Brown, that goes down every time.
Combine flushing less often with our low-water toilets and our well/septic system is very happy. There's nothing disgusting about it unless you choose to be disgusted. Personally, I'm more disgusted by wasting flush water than not flushing waste.
Anotherway of doing the same thing is to not use "drinkable" water to flush the toilet in the first place. I was at the AIA Convention last week and found a company that has developed a device to use the water from the sink to flush the toilet.
Check out the links below:
Product Brochure www.WaterSaverTech.com/Promotional_Material-Downloadable_PDF_file.pdf
o Owner’s Manual www.WaterSaverTech.com/WaterSaver%20Users%20Manual.pdf
- includes: Installation Instructions
o LEED information www.WaterSaverTech.com/LEED-Certification.html
· Frequently Asked Questions www.WaterSaverTech.com/AQUS-water-conservation-questions.html
Anticipated Savings
o Average Savings from The Aqus www.WaterSaverTech.com/Average-Savings.html
o Aquacraft Savings Report www.WaterSaverTech.com/Aquacraft_Savings_Report.pdf
News Room - articles
Drop By Drop, It All Adds Up – Builder Architect
www.WaterSaverTech.com/WST%20Article%20for%20submission%20to%20publications,%20v.3.pdf
Green Builder Magazine review
www.WaterSaverTech.com/GBM_Jan07_page32.pdf
Seminar focuses on ‘greening’ of new homes - San Francisco
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/07/HOG28LHOCU1.DTL&hw=west+coast+green&sn=001&sc=1000
Top 10 Products - Green Builder Magazine
www.WaterSaverTech.com/Green%20Builder%20Mag.pdf
Doesn't have a name? I've always called it Mellow Yellow. Usually as a verb but I don't use it in conversation that much.
Anyway. I almost always mellow yellow when I'm home alone, but never when there's anyone else around. That's a bit too far.
My wife and I do this over night so as to not wake anyone up and often we will buddy up on #1with one going after the other before the flush.
I also pee in the shower, hey the waters going down the drain anyway and the tub floor is rinsed clear right then and there. Grey water collectors might not want to do this unless it goes right to the plants wouldn't care.
I do this. It annoys me though when my girlfriend won't let me pee in the toilet immediately after she pees. she thinks it's gross for our pees to mingle.
i'm always horrified by these guys in public bathrooms that can't wait 30 seconds for an empty urinal so they use a stall to pee.
it'll be neat when more poor environmental choices become crimes.
Our family has been doing this for years as well; the kids have grown up with the concept. We easily save 16 flushes a day.
Just be happy that you have the option to decide whether you'll flush or not. Many people from the former soviet bloc continue to not flush *anything* until the toilet is *full*. There are plenty of places in the world that have modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, but water is such a precious resource that none is put to waste.
But yeah, if you're a guy and can get away with it, go out in the back yard. I actually suggested it to a family with 3 boys.. but somehow I don't think they took me seriously.
The other side of the story is if your urine is yellow then your not getting enough water intake yourself. I wish I could find the source now but basically the normal amount of water you should be taking in will dilute the waste enough that your urine should be clear. So if your yellow then your not drinking enough, up your water intake and after a while you shouldn't be yellow.
When my wife's not around I pee in the sink. But don't let her know that. She forces me to flush every time and she flushes every time because she insists she needs about three feet of toilet paper to "feel clean."
Maybe there's a market for a toilet lid cover with an integrated urinal? Or maybe a toilet without a handle that flushes on a timer or when the waste weighs a certain amount?
When I worked at home, I would do this all day, maybe only flushing once, and when it's just me and my boyfriend, we also let it mellow. Now that I work in an office, though, I just can't do it. More reason to telecommute, I guess
I had a friend who nailed an old urinal to a tree in his back yard, just to make things clear.
Also, why can only boys pee outside?
I think the "yellowness" is a perfect personal hydration indicator. If I can't let it mellow without anyone noticing I'm not drinking enough water.
"On this island of sun and fun, we don't flush for number one"
In the interest of common sense, there's a caveat here.
If you're using a few sheets or more of toilet paper per evacuation of the bladder, especially in any house with older plumbing, letting the waste build up between flushings is a bad idea that can and does lead to slow-running or fully clogged toilets. Most older piping will not easily handle large clumps of paper waste going through.
Fixing a clogged or slow-running toilet by dumping very toxic chemicals to eat the way through the obstructions and flush out into the wastewater is no healthier for the environment than flushing after every use. So, as in all things, use moderation and common sense.
I'm grossed out. I admit it. I want to not be grossed out, because I recognize the environmental benefits, but I am.
Don't assume that I have my a/c running because you see me on the net Anonymous @ 9:55 . And don't bring my health into it either the only thing I can usually afford to drink all day is water. I'd also like to know how you feel about that same issue when your toddler learns how to open the childproofed bathroom door and the toilet and "investigate" for the first time.
I agree with Tom Gray and 2:28pm Anon. There are more effective ways to go about saving water.
>>i'm always horrified by these guys in public bathrooms that can't wait 30 seconds for an empty urinal so they use a stall to pee.
pee-shy... give me a urinal with a door.
if you live alone or you have your own personal washroom in your house (as I do), then it's not a problem to not flush.
but if you share a bathroom, it's rather unpleasant to be greeted with the urine of the last person who used the toilet.
but nonetheless, whatever floats your boat (and is eco-friendly) is fine!
When my urine is clear colored or really light then I don't flush but otherwise, I flush.
This is exactly the type of thing I think treehugger should be covering! The type of thing that everyone could or should think about. this is way better than the $600 bamboo end table (that probably flew 2000 miles to your door).
On to the question at hand. Though I feel I should be mellow yellowing, I don't. As a woman, I frankly find it kind of gross to sit on a bowl filled with another's pee. It could splash on me! I know it's sterile and all, but I have trouble getting over that thought.
Maybe we could have a bowl that filled with water only when necessary, and could be evacuated sans water after a pee -- sort of like the toilets in airpplanes. until that is invented, I 'let it mellow' only occasionally, often at night.
http://www.twoflush.com/
This is a dual flush retrofit kit as seen on builditsolar.com. It allows you to "microflush" and have a regular flush when the need arrives.
My boyfriend pees in a 1.5 liter airtight container he got at Target that he keeps in the back bathroom.
At my house he puts it either in the compost or under the banana tree [which hadnt done *anything* until he started doing this].
At his house he flushes it when its full, thus saving a ton of water. Its not practical for me being a girl, but i think its super cool that he does it!
And the letting it mellow does require more frequent cleaning if you forget about it! I use all natural cleaner tho, so its nothing i worry about.
My mom has a major problem with selective flushing. I couldn't tell her that I selectively flush for the benefit of the environment because I thought she might throw a fit. She thinks it's disgusting (It's just tinkle!).
I still do it, of course
I don't think anything's wrong with it, except maybe in public bathrooms. That's nasty, I don't want anything to splash back up on me.
Also:
I pee in the shower, too.
And I peeing outside isn't just for the boys, and you don't even need a bush or some brush to cover you if it's dark enough outside.
Great post, and I'd like to see more in the same genre! Things that everyone can do themselves, rather than buying eco-this and eco-that.
When vacationing at Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, they had posted signs in all the bathrooms "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down. Far from being grossed out it made so much sense that my husband and I have continued this practice ever since when possible. If we have company we flush. For the most part my husband joins the many that pee outdoors, however we go one step further. Jerry Baker "Master gardener" has a recipe for fire ant control that uses urine so he pees into a container for our fire ant concoction.
We also keep a bucket by the kitchen sink and whenever we soak anything we pour the water in the bucket, leftover coffee including the grounds, tea. We water our plants indoors & out and they love the soapy mix. Once you start it becomes apparent how much water goes down the drain needlessly. This is anal behavior but we just incorporate it into our recycling and composting routine.
My boyfriend pees right into our composter, I would, but I think I might have some difficulty. I may have been more freaked out about this before I started backpacking a lot, I've noticed a lot of national parks going to composting toilets and while I live in a high density neighborhood I would seriously consider it in a less dense one (although I seriously believe that the National Park Service should do nothing to augment a park and if you like camping you certainly can handle going outside.)
I wonder if people know that you can pour water directly into the bowl to make it flush and it takes only half the water. To fill the tank takes about 4 gallons and to fill the bowl only 2 gallons. You need to pour the water in fast because it's the swirling action that makes it go down.
Does anyone know of a safe "toilet tablet" to put in the tank that releases cleanser with every flush? This would solve the frequent cleaning problem, except that most of them seem to be bleach-based.
Why not go even further? If its yellow, let it mellow; if its brown, let it mound (at least until it rises out of the water; then a flush is more than appropriate).
I agree with "let it mellow". It's just urine. In an emergency, with no water, you can drink it. I flush at bedtime.
Here's my two cents. How about just "going camel" about it...holding it in until you really, really gotta go. your body gets into this rhythm where it becomes natural to only go a couple of times a day, and you only drink as much water as your body needs (personally I think Americans over drink their water).
I've spent considerable time in areas with no public restrooms and bathroom norms. Men could pee all they wanted, but with no privacy, women couldn't afford the same luxury. We could only go at dawn and dusk, when we were least likely to be spotted. Most tribal, aboriginal, and water deprived communities live like this.
Modern people are very spoiled.
I lived w/o running water for years.
Every drop of water that came into the house had to be carried from the spring. It caused me to be very inventive with water usage.
I took a 'bucket bath".
Warmed up half (or less) of a 5 gal pail of water on the stove; used the rest to cool it down. In the tub I'd stick my head into the bucket, pour a little water over me and soap up. Then the rinse. No problem -I got clean!
Today, even though I have electricity and running water, I rarely flush my toilet. Whatever water I use for a bath is used during the day to flush with. In the summer I also use it to water plants on the deck and in the gardens. Plants LOVE soap!
For watering the gardens I have a 100 gallon stock tank (aka rain barrel) under a downspout. This way I use rainwater and not my well water!
I am in college and live in a dorm. Last year my floor started an "Environmental Stall" that followed the yellow-mellow rule, and you'd be amazed at how much drama this has caused among the girls on my floor. It blows my mind that people have such high levels of expectation for what they "deserve," to the point where some girls even flush the toilet in the environmental stall and then use a different one just because they can't stand the thought of peeing in the same room as it.
This is something that I would gladly do as long as I am at home alone. :) This could especially be done by those who have a private bathroom seperate from guest bathroom.