How to Recycle Waste Water Using Plants

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison presents on waste water recycling using plants.

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Art Ludwig's Branched Drain Greywater System:

Dr John Todd building an Ecomachine in my backyard 20 years ago:

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[PLuMUK]

As a retired teacher, I have to compliment you on the quality of your diagrams.

[veljkoprodanovic]

As a water engineer and scientist working on optimising nature-based water treatment I approve of this video! 👌 Very clear, factual and good advice. I teach a whole course on this topic at my Uni, but I'll recommend your videos to students for a quick intro into the class. If you ever want to do a video on new water treatment tech such as green walls, living walls, green roofs, please reach out. Happy to give some advice and all the up-to-date research notes.

[carmenortiz]

I keep adding rainbarrels to my property. Already had the house upgraded with gutters that keep leaves our, just this week I added them to my separate cottage. Quite expensive but that means two more large barrels. When I moved here it was just 1/3 acre of lawn, now it is a certified wildlife habitat. Some of my smaller fruit trees have been droping lots of seeds, it no longer looks like a lot in the middle of town. The number of birds and small animal is also increasing. This is my legacy. I am 77 but I will continue until I drop dead. (Vegetable also, of course.)

[ladyofthemasque]

Back in the mid-2000s, I visited the Ethel M chocolate factory on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Its entire greywater treatment system was contained in a greenhouse-like structure full of various tanks, which in turn were full of algae, bacteria, and plenty of plants, just like in your video here. The factory tour guide told us how the water that came out the far side was as clean as anything that came out of a food grade garden hose, and so they were able to recycle it. (I think they used UV light treatment, too.) The tour guide told us it was one of the first commercially scaled nature-based water treatment systems when it was intalled. That information got me interested in natural filtration of wastewater, which in turn led me to an interest in permaculture, which led me to finding your channel!

[mar-nyan]

I live in an apartment so I have no way to actually set this up, but I enjoy watching things like this. People caring about the planet just heals my soul after seeing all the negative content online

[nnazem]

I've been on YouTube for 16 years... And you finally made me do something I never thought I'd do in my life.
I liked, I commented, and now I'm subscribed

[ASheepSaysMoo]

The most creative and informative videos on permaculture I’ve seen! I really appreciate what you’re doing.

[sushmabagla]

Your use of diagrams and illustrations to explain water recycling through plants is simply phenomenal! Your efforts are not only educational but also deeply impactful. I believe that each viewer has the potential to be that one person who changes their approach to water usage and recycling after watching your videos. This one person can spark a chain reaction of positive change, ultimately leading to a future where sustainable practices are the norm. Your dedication to making a difference is inspiring, and I'm grateful for the valuable contribution you're making to our planet's well-being. Keep shining your light!

[stevenwilliams]

I cannot say enough praise about this video. It shines in every aspect. The presentation graphics are stunning. The information is well delivered, comprehensive and enjoyable. It does exactly as it was intended, making the viewer want to go out and build a system...

[lcmanndesktop]

Thank you for this great explanation of a "constructed wetland" system. We have had one in the foothills at 7500', outside of Denver, CO for over 28 years. It's basically a combination of the Graywater and Blackwater system you described in the beginning of your video. It was the first residential one in the state and we had to have a special permit from the EPA to build. In fact the EPA came out every month for 2 years to take water samples. We decided to use this system for a couple of reasons. Frist we needed a new system because the one that was original to our property was installed when the house was build in 1965 and was badly failing, i.e. raw effluence was bubbling up in the driveway and we saw the opportunity to replace it with something more eco-friendly. We ran across the designer/engineer at a local home show, we were almost as excited as he was when we found what looked like to us the perfect solution to our needs. We kept trying to find a system that would work on our almost solid granite location. Even though we have 5 acres of land a lot was to steep and the only other alternative was a series of lift stations (very expensive). The wetland fit perfectly in front of our house and the leach field underneath it, something not really needed, but insisted on by the local government and the EPA, "just incase". Well needless to say it has worked perfectly for over 28 years with very little to no maintenance from us. The water is not potable, but according to the 2 years of testing is 98+% bad bacteria free. It also supports a wide verity of local wild life. When I first started writing this I was interrupted by my husband calling me to come see our returning female Bobcat hunting for her dinner in the wetland, probably a mouse? It also supports a rather large amount of deer and wild turkey, and of course birds and squirrels and other smaller creatures, especially during the cold snowy winters we get here, because as I'm sure you know the wetland never freezes and there are always plants down at the water level, about 6-8" under the pea gravel, that grow all year long. We have even grown tomatoes in it during our very short growing season.
Sorry for this long post, but I've never meet anyone who has every heard of a system like this, much less seen one.
Thanks again for your great video! Christina

[chillylizerd]

You can use willow trees to breakdown human waste. I saw a outhouse built where the black water tank is shared with a built in willow Grove. Worked very well, smelled great.

[markthomas]

As a residential plumber, I only collect my shower water. I pump my grey water out of a 30 gallon container. My average shower is about 35 gallons. Low amp pump is drawn from a GFCI outlet. I had a very good lesson with electric flow several years ago. Before I had this GFI outlet I actually received a pretty good tingling sensation when I grabbed the mixer valve handle. I had a bad pump, the water acted as a conductor and went all the way up and through the tub. I threw that pump away and have never had a problem since. I love taking longer showers, California is starting its fifth year and a drought. Knowing that I am watering the pine tree with used water and a small amount of electricity makes my showers more enjoyable. Great video sir!

[anonymousblade]

As a gardener, that is soo cool. I will be researching this more so i can implement this.

[WisdomThumbs]

Started watching this channel almost three years ago. Temple Grandin’s interview with Jordan Peterson clued me in on the need for infrastructure workers. Now I have a Class D Water license, about to have my Wastewater license, and still watching this channel for useful, applicable education. Thanks! 👍 👍

The diagrams are truly special.

[hirogardenlighter]

Years ago now I was working on helping develop an ecovillage. I was designing a waste water system where the greywater would be used to flush toilets. Then the black water was going to go into a septic tank biogas digester. From there I had planned for it to go into a living plant filter system and then into another area where it would get heated by sunlight to turn into steam, seperating out anything remaining and turning a small steam turbine. After it turned the turbine some was supposed to drip down a little to a slanted pipe to exit that segment of the system. My goal was to put the water to work doing a lot of stuff while being cleaned.

[mavicityrelayson]

Gosh. This presentation system is better than blackboards! We can see everything!

[osana]

Could you do a video for cold climates, like climates in the Midwest during the winter months? I'm trying to change my lifestyle and living, so I'm quite new to all of this.

[teutonieth]

I get the distinct feeling that this sort of eco-watertreatment system only really works in warm climates, where there is no winter and the weather constantly stays above freezing point.
Excellent for hot climates which most need and lack water treatment, but limited in usefulness up north.

[ShannonTheMojito]

I want this presenter to explain everything to me. I've learned so much in a few minutes.

[deep-fried-zombie]

I have a 50ft pothos vine growing out of a 55 gallon angel fish tank. I never have to do water changes. Sometimes I have to add a lot of extra food because the vine is sucking up everything. Great video 👍🏻