Disposal of grey waste on Public Highway

[snowie]

Can someone clarify the position regarding disposal of above (grey waste) on Public Highway, in UK,

thanks

alan b

[tonyishuk]

Simple !

 

Don't do it, It is illegal, pollutes water courses and destroys aquatic life, from the very little stuff you see in a microscope, all the way up the food chain.

 

From memory, It is an offence that can be prosecuted under the 1936 Public Health Act, and no doubt been updated since, under other Highway and Environmental Acts.

 

 

Rgds

 

Only to add;

 

Controlled waters (streams, rivers, canals, marine environment and groundwater) have statutory protection under the Water Resources Act 1991 and amendments in England and Wales, the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009 No.153 in England, the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) Regulations 2005 (CAR) and amendments in Scotland and the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 in Northern Ireland. It is an offence to make a discharge to controlled waters without the permission or consent of the regulators of these areas, which are the Environment Agency in England and Wales, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in Scotland, and Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland.

 

[Rayjsj]

Don't do it,it's illegal. That being said, on many sites,especially during the hot weather, the wardens were encouraging folk to empty their 'Wastemasters' at the base of trees and into the sun-parched hedgrows. Although he did stipulate NO BLEACH.or harmful chemicals.

But on the public highway...no way.

[StuartO]

I'm sure it's illegal too. Street drains are storm drains, so they go untreated directly into rivers etc rather than into the sewage drains, which are therefore separate.

 

Discharging grey water into a hedgerow isn't ideal but it's probably better than into street drains, because the ground will filter and deal with it before it can reach any watercourse. Especially if a hedge only gets an occasional dose, from which it would obviously benefit in dry weather.

[snowie]

Thanks for the replies so far guys; I asked, not because I do it or would consider doing it, but because a motorhome parked opposite my house last night, and this morning left, leaving behind, directly where it had parked, a substantial grey, soapy pool, which because the gutter is irregular stayed there most of the day until a deluge washed it away.

I was wondering what he might do with his toilet cassette,

 

regards

alan b

[candapack]

snowie - 2014-08-14 8:46 PM

 

I was wondering what he might do with his toilet cassette,

 

regards

alan b

 

Have you had a look in your bins (?) *-)

 

Actually, friends of mine who live very remotely have all their grey water draining into their (quite large) vegetable garden - obviously, they don't use bleach and only use bio cleaning stuff.

[Muswell]

snowie - 2014-08-14 8:46 PM

 

Thanks for the replies so far guys; I asked, not because I do it or would consider doing it, but because a motorhome parked opposite my house last night, and this morning left, leaving behind, directly where it had parked, a substantial grey, soapy pool, which because the gutter is irregular stayed there most of the day until a deluge washed it away.

I was wondering what he might do with his toilet cassette,

 

regards

alan b

 

Did they fill up from your garden tap?

[Guest Peter James]

Bleach is not as harmful as you might think. It will react with things in the soil but what is left over is fairly harmless compounds like salt. Dr Alice Roberts did a TV programme where she said if you pour it down the sink by the time it has gone a few yards along the drainpipe it is spent and harmless.I have poured it neat on to weeds and within a couple of weeks they are growing back. You would certainly need a lot of bleach to kill a tree.

[Guest pelmetman]

Peter James - 2014-08-14 10:06 PM

 

Bleach is not as harmful as you might think. It will react with things in the soil but what is left over is fairly harmless compounds like salt. Dr Alice Roberts did a TV programme where she said if you pour it down the sink by the time it has gone a few yards along the drainpipe it is spent and harmless.I have poured it neat on to weeds and within a couple of weeks they are growing back. You would certainly need a lot of bleach to kill a tree.

 

We had a tree cut down and the tree surgeon said to put neat bleach on the stump.............It's still sending up shoots :D................

 

As for storm drains, considering the rain washes all sorts of crud off the road, I suspect a drop of grey water would be a lot cleaner by comparison :-|.................Indeed the grey water may well reduce the toxicity of the oil and salt being washed of the road :D.................

 

 

[Guest pelmetman]

candapack - 2014-08-14 8:52 PM

 

snowie - 2014-08-14 8:46 PM

 

I was wondering what he might do with his toilet cassette,

 

regards

alan b

 

Have you had a look in your bins (?) *-)

 

Actually, friends of mine who live very remotely have all their grey water draining into their (quite large) vegetable garden - obviously, they don't use bleach and only use bio cleaning stuff.

 

Go back a few years and people would empty their outhouse contents, into a trench dug in the veg garden, prior to planting their veg ;-)....................

 

Now that's what I call recycling (lol) (lol)...........

 

 

[lennyhb]

A hydrangea that is beside my drive right by where I empty the van's grey water loves the grey water twice as many blooms and far bigger than they used to be. (lol)

[AliB]

Surely there must be an opportunity for some to produce a water recycling system. It is one of the chores I could do without - driving the van to a dump point and then to tap to refill. Especially when the tap and dump are not adjacent.

 

There are systems used in African countries that will filter dirty water to clean drinkable water.

 

http://www.lifesaversystems.com/

 

The current available products seem to be small scale. It needs something built into the waste tank and pumped through the filters and back to the main water tank as you drive.

 

[Airstream]

Hi,

With regard to water courses All or say 99.9% of canal/river boats discharge their grey water directly into the canal/river

So thats 1000's of folk discharging washing up,showering,clothes washing etc every day - has this done any damage to fish stocks etc?

I am sure that the 1000,000's litres od dog and cat waste that is washed down the road drains is more harmfull than the contents of a grey waste tank?

I would not however condone discharging grey waste on a puplic road

Regards Ray

[Bulletguy]

Much depends on exactly what has gone in a MH's grey water. Do any of us shower with highly toxic chemicals? Personally i prefer 2-1 shower stuff which amounts to soap. Nothing else ever goes in my grey water tank at all as i don't wash dishes....i buy disposables, but 99% of the time, eat out when away.

 

Though illegal to just dump straight out on a road, soapy water won't ever cause an environmental catastrophe!

[EMS]

A few years ago when we had drought we were advised to water the garden with grey water from washing up, baths etc. this should have little or no effect on the garden as the amount is small so little danger with watering a hedge or verge.

In the village were I used to live as a lad one of the old houses that used a cesspit used to drain all its washing water into the ditch outside the house and this had no effect on the plants along the ditch though some times it smelt a bit!

Soap has main constituent of fat when used for washing(plus the gunge from plates and our selves).

[Guest Peter James]

I suppose you could say its all harmful because most things will harm us if we have too much of them.

Even Good Wholesome Food will kill you if you stuff yourself with it.

I know of a young woman who died from drinking too much water.

She was on some fad diet and drank about a gallon in 40 minutes

[Guest pelmetman]

Oh dear some dishwashing water has gone into the drain, PANIC!!!

 

SUE

[tonyg3nwl]

Hi, dont do it because you can be prosecuted. Your soapy greasy waste COULD possibly spread across thesurface of the road and COULD therefore cause a hazard to traffic.. IF an accident ensued AND it could be proved that it was caused by a wet slippery road..trouble ..

 

deposit into a hedgerow is generally considered acceptable.

 

tonyg3nwl

 

[Guest Had Enough]

tonyg3nwl - 2014-08-15 7:41 PM

 

Hi, dont do it because you can be prosecuted. Your soapy greasy waste COULD possibly spread across thesurface of the road and COULD therefore cause a hazard to traffic.. IF an accident ensued AND it could be proved that it was caused by a wet slippery road..trouble ..

 

deposit into a hedgerow is generally considered acceptable.

 

tonyg3nwl

 

Bang on. I'm also not averse to driving onto an unpaved layby, getting my wheels up onto the grass and dumping it into the vegetation. On a site I often distribute it along the bottom of hedgerows. In drought conditions you're doing the plants a big favour.

 

It's grey water, not toxic waste.

[Guest pelmetman]

Had Enough - 2014-08-15 7:52 PM

 

 

Bang on. I'm also not averse to driving onto an unpaved layby, getting my wheels up onto the grass and dumping it into the vegetation. On a site I often distribute it along the bottom of hedgerows. In drought conditions you're doing the plants a big favour.

 

It's grey water, not toxic waste.

 

Old Horace would be impressed Frank B-)..............He's often to be found like a dog with worms :D........

 

Spread the cool grey man B-)...............

[Guest Peter James]

pelmetman - 2014-08-15 8:03 PM

 

Had Enough - 2014-08-15 7:52 PM

 

 

Bang on. I'm also not averse to driving onto an unpaved layby, getting my wheels up onto the grass and dumping it into the vegetation. On a site I often distribute it along the bottom of hedgerows. In drought conditions you're doing the plants a big favour.

 

It's grey water, not toxic waste.

 

Old Horace would be impressed Frank B-)..............He's often to be found like a dog with worms :D........

 

Spread the cool grey man B-)...............

 

What a waste .(!)

I prefer to wind a string around the waste taps, and pull the other end from the cab whilst driving through London ;-)

Then if I have to pay their Emissions Tax I will have got my money's worth :-D

[Brock]

Yes it is illegal to allow your grey water to enter the water course through storm drains. It's also illegal to wash your car on the drive and allow that water to end in the storm drains.Yet most of us do it and perhaps calm our conscious by using environmentally friendly washing chemicals.

 

The reality is that the Authorities are more interested in the fly-car washes that spring up because those do pour enormous amounts of grey water into the drains. Properly set up car washes, including most hand car washes, do not. Also commercial premises that inadvertently poison local rivers get attention.

 

So, Snowie, I'm in the "it's illegal" camp. That said, you are highly unlikely to be prosecuted because there will be many sinners ahead of you in the queue.

[docted]

If you are riding a bike/motor bike behind somebody letting go their waste you don't know what colour it is but you do know it is disgusting.

 

[bowser]

docted - 2014-08-16 6:05 PM

 

If you are riding a bike/motor bike behind somebody letting go their waste you don't know what colour it is but you do know it is disgusting.

 

I have seen a MH get broken wing mirrors/windscreen and broken headlights for that, and quite rightly so!!!!

[rolandrat]

O.T.T. comes to mind. Aren't the biggest culprits the utilities companies. They are supposed to be regulated by the environment agency. You can't bathe in the sea at some seaside resorts because of systematic effluent discharging.