This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A pellet that dissolves in the toilet, turning the water blue and masking odor after urinating, could help us all save water, according to a first-of-its-kind study from the University of Surrey. The research, which investigated the use of the commercially available product Wizso, found that households are more than willing to skip flushing, but only when nobody is looking.
The small but unique study looked at 20 adults living in the U.K. who agreed to try using the pellet before or after flushing for a week and were then interviewed about their experience. Participants told researchers that the blue water created by the pellet was reassuring, with many associating the color with toilet tank blocks and bleach. Reactions from participants were more cautious when they had guests or when there were visible signs of an unflushed toilet, due to concerns that others would judge them for breaching hygiene norms.
Another stumbling block came from female participants, who said the sight of menstrual blood prompted them to flush automatically, regardless of their environmental intentions. Overall, though, the pellets were well received, with participants finding them easy to incorporate into their usual routines, despite ingrained habits of flushing after use. "We think that social expectations—the fear or stigma of what people might think of them if they were "found out" not to flush—are a bigger problem than the habit of flushing itself.
We found that our participants who lived alone were more than comfortable with leaving the toilet unflushed, and most were comfortable around partners, children and other family members. However, normal flushing resumed when guests arrived," said Sophia Shaw-Brown, a postgraduate research student. Almost a quarter of domestic water use in the U.K. is due to toilet flushing, and each flush uses between 4 and 13 liters (1.1 to 3.4 gallons) of drinking-quality water.
Other countries, such as Hong Kong, use seawater for this. It is estimated that people flush six times a day, which adds up to 25 to 80 liters (6.6 to 21.1 gallons) per person per day from flushing alone. The U.K. water industry wants to cut average personal use from 145 liters (38 gallons) a day to 110 liters (29 gallons), against a projected daily freshwater shortfall of 5 billion liters (1.3 billion gallons) by 2050.
"Water scarcity is a huge problem in the U.K., but people will probably forget about the need to save water when it starts raining again. Innovative new solutions are needed to help people save water all year round, as part of their everyday routines. Although there will undoubtedly be situations where people don't want to leave their toilet unflushed due to embarrassment, these pellets provide an easy way of saving water overall by reducing the number of times we need to flush after urinating.
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