The secrets of greywater

Greywater is the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers. It’s not drinkable but there’s still loads you can do with it. This week we’re finding out how greywater could help tackle water scarcity. We’re meeting communities in the dry north east of Brazil who have installed simple systems to filter the water they use in their kitchen, showers or laundry so that they can reuse it to water crops, fruit trees and provide food for animals like cows, goats and sheep, helping them to make a livelihood. In Germany we meet the company using bacteria to help magically recycle greywater on a big scale in hotels, museums and swimming pools. Plus we talk to a greywater fangirl for her top facts and tips on how you can save water the low tech way. People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider. Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Claire Bowes Brazil reporter: Julia Dias Carneiro Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines (Image: Edilene Monteiro in the garden of her home in northeastern Brazil, BBC)

You can listen to The secrets of greywater online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The secrets of greywater is an episode from People Fixing The World by BBC.

This episode is 24:02 long.

This episode was published on Apr 28, 2026.

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