Did you know that approximately 80% of wastewater is dumped back into the environment untreated? That’s a frightening statistic, especially when you consider that we’re facing water shortages. Why would we contaminate water when we’re already running out of the precious resource?
Everywhere you look, you can see evidence of global warming and the trouble planet earth is in right now. It’s a hot button issue that everyone is talking about, whether they believe it’s realistically an issue or not. Much of the struggles we’re seeing today point back to global warming and dying ecosystems worldwide—from an abundance of forest fires, to extreme flooding, polar vortexes, melting icecaps, and dying and extinct species. Even the Great Barrier Reef is dying. Water stress and the water crisis is one of the issues that is a small part of the larger issue. And we’re seeing this issue closer to home than you’d expect. The water crisis is no longer just in Africa anymore. We have to become good water stewards and stewards of the earth. It’s no longer enough to swear off straws and K-cups.
Water stress happens when there is a higher demand for water than is available. Big changes need to be made, and you can start by making changes to your water recycling practices within your industry. Instead of dumping your wastewater and slurry, therefore polluting valuable water resources, destroying aquatic ecosystems, and contributing to the spread of waterborne diseases, you can treat your wastewater and recycle it to be used again or safely dumped. If you don’t treat your water and then dump it, or you let it absorb into the ground, you’re contributing to water stress and the water crisis by contaminating valuable water sources.
The good news is that there are effective solutions to help you clean your water, balance its pH level, and safely dump or recycle it. Investing in dewatering equipment, like a filter press, will make separating solids and liquids an easy task. You’re left with slurry cakes ready for disposal and treated water that is ready to be recycled and reused. There’s no guilt, and no worry about receiving fines for illegally dumping wastewater. Additionally, recycled wastewater leads to improved water and soil quality, and it can sustain wildlife, replenish groundwater, and limit the need for chemical fertilizers. To take it one step further and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, instead of transporting your wastewater and having someone else do the cleaning for you, invest in wastewater filtering equipment so you can take care of the process yourself onsite.
As a society, we are good at creating waste, but we are not always good at cleaning it up. Water is a precious, yet limited, resource, and it’s our responsibility to recycle it.