Cistern saver

What

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)

Why

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.

How

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:

  1. Most water companies provide free water hippo bags straight to your doorstep. Ask them if they do.
  2. Buy your own Water Hippo on Amazon here. NB they sell two sizes - Hippo 7 for cisterns up to 9 litres, or Hippo 9 for any that are 9 litres or larger.
  3. Fashion your own water saving device using a small water bottle filled with tap water or a house brick (just make sure it’s not too crumbly, you don’t want to clog your pipes up!).

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.