In Earthship Brighton the first 'use' of water is in the sinks and showers and after this it becomes 'grey water'. Grey water is waste water that has not been mixed with human waste, and is easy to treat with a low intensity plant based system. The grey water is first fed through a grease and particle filter and then slowly travels through the grey water planter systems.
Plants treat waste
In Earthship Brighton, the plants of two botanical treatment cells clean the water. The cells are located next to south-facing windows so that the plants thrive in an environment of sunlight and nutrient-rich water. The planters use a variety of natural systems to clean the water, including transpiration, evaporation, oxygenation and rhizology - treatment through the bacteria that thrive around the plants root systems.
The 'recycled' water is then stored in a well until it is pumped into the low dual flush toilet cistern. Any waste water from the toilet, 'black-water' or sewage, is discharged from the building to a settling tank, before the liquor overflows and is treated in a horizontal flow reed-bed. At the end of the reed bed the water is harmlessly returned to nature.
The virtual tour is now complete, to get a more detailed explanation either visit Earthship Brighton for one of our regular tours or read 'Earthships in Europe'