Kitchen sink cameras reveal hidden water habits

Kitchen sink cameras have revealed how people’s perceptions of their water consumption can be very different from the reality of their habits.

A qualitative study by CCW using motion-sensitive cameras filmed kitchen sinks in 15 households for one week before playing footage back to the participants. It showed people pouring fats down the sink and leaving taps running unattended for up to 23 minutes.

The participants were quizzed about their water usage prior to the trial and shown footage of their habits to shine a light on the everyday ways people unthinkingly wasted water or rinsed fats, oils and grease down the sink. One said he was “absolutely disgusted” to be presented with the reality and added his household would be having “some very severe conversations” to improve.

The water watchdog said almost every household self-identified as environmentally friendly, but their actions did not match their intentions.

The households vastly underestimated their water use generally and at the kitchen sink. Taps were left running for between 10 seconds up to 23 minutes 10 seconds; most people also put cooking fat down the plughole – sometimes in very large quantities – risking blocked pipes and drains.

A study last year revealed the majority of householders have no understanding of how much water they use, with 78 per cent believing they consume under 60 litres a day when the reality is an average of 142 litres.

CCW will use the findings to communicate messages about water efficiency and keeping drains clear from blockages.

Its three tips for “sink sense” are to use a washing up bowl to reduce wastage by up to 50 per cent; to turn the tap off while washing up to save six litres of water per minute; and to put all grease and fat into the bin.