Water butts have been installed at Braintree District Council’s cemeteries to make sure rainwater can be used by visitors tending to graves.
Water butts have been installed at Braintree District Council’s cemeteries to make sure rainwater can be used by visitors tending to graves.
The simple idea is part of the council’s drive to tackle climate change.
Water butts have many benefits because rainwater is great for plants and reduces water waste.
The water butts are fixed to existing down pipes to ensure a good level of water is collected. Signs have been put up to make visitors aware.
Water butts can be found at the cemeteries in Bocking, Braintree, Halstead and Witham.
Cllr Wendy Schmitt, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, at Braintree District Council, said: “Water butts are a really easy way to protect the environment. Reusing rainwater makes complete sense – the water is free and the plants much prefer it. We hope this encourages others to consider using a water butt.”
Residents can harvest and recycle the rainwater which falls on the roof of their home and use it in their garden thanks to a subsidised water butt offer from Essex County Council and getcomposting.com. Residents just need to visit the Get Composting website (getcomposting.com) and input their postcode for the offer to be applied.