Could toilet pellets help us flush less and save water?

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 UK 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 that the pellet created was reassuring – with many associating the colour with cistern blocks and bleach. Reactions from the participants were more cautious when they had guests, or where 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 for flushing after use. 

Almost a quarter of domestic water use in the UK is down to toilet flushing and each flush uses between four to 13 litres 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 litres per person per day caused by flushing alone. 

The UK water industry wants to cut average personal use from 145 litres a day to 110 litres, against a projected daily freshwater shortfall of five billion litres by 2050. 

Each was given a dispenser of 70 pellets, instructions and a link to the manufacturer’s guidance, then interviewed a week later for between 20 and 40 minutes. More information on the pellets is available at www.wizso.com.