Water Recycling at Home
Martin Towers
In 1995 Martin Towers, a concerned environmentalist from Doncaster, decided to build a
water recycling system that would save him money, benefit his garden, reduce his water
use and his ecological footprint. Martin wished to demonstrate that you don't have to
make extreme life changes to make a difference to the planet.
In January 1996, a local journalist complained about Severn Trent Water's plan to make
customers pay for using a garden sprinkler. Martin wrote to a local paper to tell people
about his system and was featured in the Doncaster Star.
Martin built a system that recycled all the water from the household bath and sink.
The dirty water flows into a series of tanks until it eventually pours into a tank filled with
gravel, reeds and bull rushes that serves as a filter to clean the water. The water then
siphons out of the tanks and is stored in one large tank at the bottom of Martin’s garden,
where he has an allotment. Martin then draws the water into watering cans or through an
irrigation pipe for use on his garden.
The system has undergone numerous changes during its lifetime and is an ever evolving
project that Martin enjoys working on and wants to encourage others to build similar
systems.