Waste less water during the festivities this year

The festive period is an important time for many people who come together over the holidays. Undoubtedly, it’s easy to focus on the convenience rather than how much waste is also being created. With parents taking more time off and kids on holiday school, the extra cooking and festive baking, our taps, toilets, dishwashers and washing machines really do end up working overtime adding a big surge in seasonal water consumption and the knock-on effect on our water resources and utility bills. We must each continue to take personal responsibility to protect our loved ones.

Here are some easy to implement water conservation tips, which will go a long way to using your water more wisely and which, can be put in place for the long term:

·        Change your showerhead to a water-efficient one and reduce by half your consumption of water when showering;

·        On Christmas Eve, save a bit of time and work on the Big Day! Soak the potatoes and other root veg in a pan of water then they'll be ready to roast when you need to. But DON’T throw the water away you can use it to cook the sprouts or steam some other veg.

·        If you have been cooking vegetables and you've got a real Christmas tree, you can use the cooled down water to give it a drink.

·        If you’ve been out walking or shopping in the cold and reach for a hot drink to warm yourself up when you return home, remember you can save water and energy by filing the kettle with just the water you need for that one cup.

·        Washing up - let the dishwasher take the strain it’s more water efficient. Most dishwashers can efficiently cut through the greasiest plates, and by selecting the eco cycle it will make it even more efficient. It will also give you a bit more time to spend with family and friends, and not miss out on Christmas games.

·        Washing Machine - use the 30 degrees, eco setting and a full load. Table linen doesn't need its own cycle in the machine, so wash on 30 degrees and make sure you've a full load to make the most of every drop of water and save on your energy bills too.

·        Christmas is a time when people visit one-another in their homes. Make sure you have some cistern bags and leaky loo strips on hand. With more visitors, the loo will have more flushes than normal. A cistern bag will ensure every flush uses less water. If you think your loo might be leaking grab yourself a leaky loo strip, so you can test it out.

·        Don’t run the tap when washing dishes. Plugging the drain, filling the sink with soapy water, and scrubbing and rinsing from there can reduce the amount of water you use cleaning all those holiday pots, pans, and dishes;

·        Save water (and make that pile of laundry disappear a little faster) by only washing and drying full loads every time and using the appropriate setting on your machine to the size of the load you’re washing;

·        If you’re stuck for some inspiration for last minute gift ideas, then do look around at the water efficient gadgets available on the market. Tap aerators and water efficient showerheads are small and reasonably priced and perfect stocking fillers