Category

Industry Resources

Commercial Water-Saving Tips

Did you know that Melbourne has enough water and sewerage pipes to encircle the entire globe? That’s 52,343 km at the last count, according to Living Victoria, a $50-million initiative supported by the state Government. Their point? Nearly all the water we use in the city is pumped from out of town – and we need to do something about it. While the cost of importing water goes up every year, we continue to waste more water than we use – nearly 900 billion litres annually, or enough to fill Sydney Harbour twice over. That’s water we could use for…

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What is Backflow and Why is it Important?

When you’re running a business, it’s difficult to focus on anything that isn’t at the top of your priority list. That doesn’t leave much time for making sure you don’t unknowingly break one of the hundreds of laws that apply to businesses in Australia. So, if you’re unfamiliar with the Victoria Water Industry Regulations 2006 and what they say about backflow prevention, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know: What is Backflow? Put simply, backflow occurs when water in a system of pipework flows the opposite way to its correct direction – into the main reticulation system, and…

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Water-Saving Technology

In many ways, the role of technology in our 21st-century lives doesn’t even register. Today, when even an average smartphone packs more computing punch than the last Apollo space mission, only truly exceptional tech is newsworthy. That may explain why many industries are still not adopting new technologies that improve water efficiency – that’s according to extensive research carried out by Australia’s Nursery and Garden Industry Association. The NGIA report concluded that increased use of technology could save more than 115 billion litres of water every year in commercial nurseries across Australia. Business owners expect to see a healthy financial…

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Gas Safety and Carbon Monoxide

It kills silently, taking lives without pity or remorse. Young children and the elderly make easy targets, yet many Australians have no idea how to protect themselves and their families. This year, unless the trend of the past decade is reversed, at least one person in Victoria will die needlessly – the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. Next year will be the same … Do you own or manage rented accommodation or multi-residential premises? Do you know what to do? If not, you need help … or your property could become a death trap and you could end up with…

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Irrigation and Water Management

If water-wasting was a competitive sport, Australia would be up there with the best. Few nations come close to us in pouring precious resources down the drain, and in Victoria, we’re no slouches either. Every year, agricultural businesses in Victoria use more than 1,500 trillion litres of water for irrigation – almost one-quarter of all irrigation water in Australia. If this sounds like a lot, consider that up to 30 per cent is wasted before it reaches the farm gate … It gets worse – another 20 per cent can be lost in local distribution and a further 15 per…

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