greywater

Definition

Wastewater generated from household processes such as washing dishes, bathing, and laundry, which is distinct from sewage or toilet water and can often be reused for tasks like irrigation.

Etymology

The term is a compound of 'grey' and 'water', emerging in the 20th century to describe water that is neither fresh nor fully contaminated sewage, reflecting its intermediate state.

In the news

In Paks, residents are instructed to collect greywater to irrigate their gardens because the town has banned the use of potable tap water for outdoor watering during the drought.

Destroyed crops, riverbed cyclists and a ‘Rock of Starvation’: how drought has devastated the Danube

The Guardian

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