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Yep, you read that right: get yourself a hippo. But no, we’re not talking about the very un-cuddly animal, we’re talking about a water-saving device that slots neatly into your toilet cistern.
The water hippo is a small container you pop in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water you flush each time you pull the handle. Toilet flushing takes up more than a quarter of the water usage in an average home,1 so let’s start flushing more efficiently!
(NB this action isn't generally suitable for modern push-button style toilets - read more in the 'how' section)
Here's a thought for you while you're in the toilet: about 30% of your households water is flushed down the loo.1. That's perfectly drinkable water going down the drain.
Depending on your cistern, by installing a water saving device you can save 2 to 3 litres of water each time you flush.
The water saved by one hippo might not seem very significant (c. 15,000 litres a year - not bad really) but as with most of our Do Actions, when you add everyone's actions together, the difference is huge.
If your toilet flush operates via a handle, lever or chain, or was installed before 2001, it will almost certainly be using more water than needed.
Here's a few ways you can go about reducing the waste:
If the flush operates via a push button or if your system is dual flush, then good on you - you're already flushing as efficiently as you can; this pledge isn't for you.