What You Need to Know About Greywater Regulations in NZ
If you’ve been doing some research about reusing water at home, you’ve probably come up against the question of greywater regulations.
Greywater reuse is widely allowed in New Zealand, but there are some guidelines and regulations in place. Importantly, they’re there to protect health and the environment, not to put people off reusing water. Once you understand the basics, it’s much easier to see where you stand.
What counts as greywater (and what doesn’t)?
When we talk about greywater, we’re referring to the water you’ve used for washing, that hasn’t come into contact with harmful contaminants. In an average home, that means water from showers, bathroom basins, and the washing machine.
Kitchen wastewater is technically greywater, but you can’t reuse it in its raw form as it contains oils and food scraps. However, with a bit of additional filtering through our 75L grease trap, that water too, can be reused.
Toilet water sits in a different category altogether (blackwater) and can’t be reused at all. Most regulations are in place to keep these two main categories separate.
Do you need consent to reuse greywater?
Under most councils, you don’t need to go through an application for resource consent just to use recycled greywater in your garden. That said, councils set their own conditions around things like how close irrigation can be used to boundaries or waterways, so the safest approach is always to check your local council’s website or give them a call.
In practice, we’ve found the vast majority of councils are supportive of greywater systems. Their main concern is that greywater doesn’t pose a risk to people, property, or the environment.
How can you use greywater?
Because greywater isn’t as clean as fresh drinking water, there are limits to how you’re allowed to use it.
The best way to use recycled greywater is on your non-edible plants, like trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants. Lawns in particular enjoy the regular irrigation, and with recycled greywater, you’ll never have to worry about summer water restrictions or a crunchy backyard again!
To avoid the risk of greywater being consumed, you should avoid using it on any edible plants or fruit trees, and it also shouldn’t be sprayed into the air where it could come into regular contact with people or pets.
Why is greywater regulated?
Greywater regulations are there to prevent contamination and manage risk, not to stop people from making the most of their supply. By keeping greywater separate from drinking water, filtering it before use, and applying it at ground level, the chances of contamination are very low.
That’s why many councils and building authorities favour drip irrigation and purpose-built systems instead of DIY solutions. They’re proven, predictable, and easy to manage, which makes them a fairly foolproof option for the majority of households.
Where WaterMate fits
WaterMate was designed to take the hard work out of recycling greywater. It diverts reusable water out before it mixes with blackwater, filters lint, hair, and soap residue, and feeds the water straight into a drip irrigation system. The aim is to keep everything contained and flowing easily, so that you don’t have to think about it.
WaterMate is widely council-approved, but as with any greywater setup, it’s worth checking local requirements before buying yours.
Learn more about how water recycling works, or how to install a greywater recycling system, or get in touch, and our team will be happy to answer any questions.