As curious as it may seem, the water that flows into the toilet is perfectly drinkable. And for good reason. But this observation also raises questions about the use of a precious resource.
Water management has today become a crucial issue, as global warming leads to increasingly severe and recurring droughts. Projections on shortages are worrying: as of September 8, 2023, 189 municipalities were deprived of water in France according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. In short, sustainable management of every drop has never been more crucial. A pressure that imposes urgent reflection: how to consume less and better?
In France, around 20% of the water consumed daily by the French is used for flushing toilets. An unspeakable waste, which requires taking measures to preserve this precious resource. Especially since this water is supposed to be drinkable! These findings raise a strange but relevant question: could we, in an emergency, consider drinking toilet water?
In fact, even if the idea may seem incongruous, the water used for toilets is the same as that which flows from our taps. And for good reason: it comes from the same general inlet pipe! It undergoes exactly the same sanitary treatments in wastewater treatment plants and then follows the same path through the pipes, to the taps and flushes. This is a safety measure aimed at limiting the risk of spreading disease within the population.
Be careful, however: if the water which arrives by filling the flush tank is perfectly drinkable, this is obviously not the case for that which is at the bottom of the bowl, which is quickly contaminated by bacteria and others impurities from excrement and urine! No question of using it to fill a bottle under penalty of being poisoned.
The fact remains that this observation raises a significant ecological issue. Each French person consumes on average nearly 150 liters of drinking water per day, but drinks only 1.5 liters, or only 1%. A considerable waste which questions our habits and our behavior, especially in terms of the use of natural resources.
Of course, there are many ways to reduce this waste, with dual flush toilets, rainwater collection systems and even dry toilets. But above all, this question reminds us of the urgency of adopting rational and rationed management of our resources: favoring systems that consume less drinking water, better recovering wastewater and reducing waste. Blue gold deserves, more than ever, our attention.