Costing the Earth

The Great Leaky Loo Scandal


Listen Later

Do you know how much water you use? Despite campaigns to reduce our personal water usage from around 143 litres each per day to closer to 100, it's not improving.

Meanwhile Tom Heap has discovered that an innovation to a product we use every day, an innovation which promised to save water is actually making things worse. Billions of litres are being wasted every week – enough to supply the cities of Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Belfast combined – welcome to the Great Leaky Loo Scandal.

We reveal how this is happening and what can be done. Tom gets a revealing look behind the scenes at a plumbing manufacturer where flushing systems are tested and the science of 'solids discharge' is analysed.

When water is being abstracted from rivers and being treated to meet our demands we ask if we need to take the resource more seriously.

Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock for BBC Audio in Bristol

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Costing the EarthBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

55 ratings


More shows like Costing the Earth

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,389 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,839 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

162 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,894 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

308 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

240 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,791 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,046 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,141 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

898 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,015 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

269 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,080 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

248 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

80 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

401 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,664 Listeners

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast by National Trust

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

104 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

740 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,964 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

257 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,276 Listeners

Rare Earth by BBC Radio 4

Rare Earth

12 Listeners

I'm ADHD! No You're Not by Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE & Paul Whitehouse

I'm ADHD! No You're Not

29 Listeners