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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Gray Water

CSEF · 2010 Environmental Engineering (Junior Division Only)

Glenn M.A. Billman · Central Middle School, San Carlos, San Mateo County

Overview

Objectives/Goals The goal of my project was to see what common gray water can be used safely on plants so people can reduce the amount of water wasted. Methods/Materials I did this by watering twenty plants equally with five to twenty ml. of water (depending on their dryness) using five different waters (tap[the control], water from boiling spaghetti, water from boiling sausages, water with "environmentally friendly" dish soap, and water with bio-degradable soap) and measuring them weekly. I repeated this process for twenty-three days. Results Kirkland Signature dish soap had the most successful growth with an overall growth average of 59%, followed by tap water with 31% growth, then spaghetti water with 24% growth, then sausage water at 21% average growth. The last was bio-degradable soap water with an average of 18% growth. Conclusions/Discussion The results indicate that the dish soap was best when I hypothesized it to be the worst. I predicted tap water would be third best, it was second. I was sure that spaghetti and sausage water would be about the same (which they were) and better than the tap water (which they weren#t). Bio-degradable was the worst for plants when I had predicted it to be about the same as water. From this I summarized that dish soap, at least Kirkland brand, is somewhat environmentally friendly and the best for watering plants, tap water second, spaghetti water third, sausage water fourth, and bio-degradable last.

Summary statement

My project is about the effects of different types of common kitchen grey water on violas in relation to their height and health.

Help received

My parents gave limited assistance with watering and measuring; I attended three mentoring sessions where different scientists briefly talked about my ideas and methods with me. My parents also proof-read my paper and my dad showed me how to do my first graph on Excel.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2010 Environmental Engineering (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1104

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