Rainwater tanks for schools
In addition to Council's own efforts to catch rainwater in tanks, we have extended an offer to contribute to rainwater tanks installed at our local schools.
Please contact Council for current rebates provided.
More than 12,000 litres of rainwater tank installations in Randwick schools have been installed with students also taking time out in their curriculum to learn more about water conservation and other water re-use options.
Rainwater tanks in the community
Randwick Council's Rain Water Tank Policy (pdf 30kb) requires all new developments (residential, commercial and industrial) to install a rainwater tank.
- Choosing a Rainwater Tank (1.34mb)
- Tips For Hiring A Plumber (37kb)
Visit the Saving Water section of the Sydney Water Website for more information including:
- Choosing the right size tank for maximum environmental and economic benefits
- Connecting your tank to the mains for topping-up
- Different rainwater tank materials
- The cost of rainwater tanks
- Other ways to save water around the home and garden.
Installing a rainwater tank may be an Exempt Development if various conditions are met. Refer to Exempt Development Guide Codes for more information.
Rainwater tank rebates
Sydney Water currently offers a rebate towards the installation of rainwater tanks. For further information visit the Rainwater Tanks - Rebates section on the Sydney Water website.
Further, the National Rainwater and Greywater Initiative provides rebates of up to $500 for households to install rainwater tanks or greywater systems.
Randwick Council's Sustainable Home Makeover program, including rebates for installation of rainwater tanks and greywater systems, concluded 30 June 2009.
Why install a rainwater tank?
Water conservation is currently a leading issue in Australia. Australian residential areas use an average 300,000 litres of water per household each year. Information from Sydney Water shows that the most significant uses of water around the home are:
- lawns and gardens: 25%
- showers: 24%
- washing machines: 16%
- toilet flushing: 16%
Of all the water that is treated to drinking standard in Australia only around 1% is actually used for drinking. Uses such as toilet flushing do not require such a high standard of water and by using rainwater tanks to supply the water we can contribute towards reducing the pressure on our limited water resources, and help manage stormwater run-off.
Rainwater collected from the roof into a rainwater tank that has a first flush device fitted may be used for:
- toilet flushing
- washing machine (clothes: cold water only)
- gardening
- washing the car
- topping up swimming pools.
Note: Some roofing materials or paints used in the rainwater collection area can contaminate tank water. Speak with your rainwater tank supplier about testing roofing materials.
For more information on rainwater tank health guidelines and maintenance, visit the Rainwater Tanks section of the NSW Department of Health website.
Other websites that may be of interest: