How your waste is treated matters. Most of us don’t give its treatment a second thought, but if we want to protect our environment and ensure its sustainability, we need to take responsibility for our waste and ensure that it is handled in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Let’s discuss some of the environmental benefits of septic systems.
100% Natural Process
No chemicals, whatsoever, are used – unlike municipal waste systems which use harsh chemicals to treat water. Septic systems mainly rely on healthy bacteria to break down waste and clean it.
In addition to this, septic systems make use of soil’s natural filtration process to treat the effluent water, and because this process is natural, the soil does not get damaged in any way and, consequently, surrounding plants are not affected and can easily grow.
Another environmental benefit is the increased availability of clean water, which benefits local wildlife. This is due to the fact that wastewater is treated onsite, naturally – instead of being sent to a plant where it is treated – allowing local water tables to be replenished.
No Contamination
As we mentioned previously, septic systems don’t make use of any hazardous chemicals, which means that surrounding environments are kept clean, green and contamination free.
Aside from chemicals, contamination can also come in the form of disease-spreading waste. Diseases that can spread through contaminated water and soil include hepatitis and dysentery. With this in mind, it is extremely important to contain waste in a quality septic tank and regularly maintain your septic system. A well-functioning septic system leaves no risk of contamination. It is important to note that concrete septic tanks are especially effective at containing waste and are often the preferred option by governments around the world.
In fact, any waste treatment system needs frequent maintenance. For instance, with public waste treatment there is the risk of raw sewage discharge. In the case of aging sewer lines that aren’t maintained, there is chance of untreated effluent leaking into surrounding soil, which can cause contamination of surrounding soil and groundwater.
Septic systems use bacteria to clean blackwater and greywater before it is released into the ground, lessening any risks of pollution.
More Energy Efficient
A lot of energy is required to pump wastewater to and from treatment plants and this, we feel, is unnecessary energy expenditure. Septic systems, on the other hand, don’t require any electricity (Shadai to confirm) and are, therefore, much friendlier to our earth.
Do you know of any more environmental benefits of septic systems? If so, we’d love to hear what you have to say, so please leave your comment below.
