Grey Water disposal

When we stayed at a CL in your neck of the woods, the owner told us specifically to dump grey waste in the hedge row otherwise we would be filling his sceptic tank that he pays to have emptied.

You should have asked. 

I agree dump it in a hedge.   But people will tell that doing that is irresponsible and terrible.  This is because they know the difference between black and grey waste. 

I use many CL's where grey water is put in the sceptic tank.It is not a question of whether it is acceptable, if the CL owner does not want grey water emptied into the hedge for any reason then if he has a sceptic tank there is no alternative, if it isn't made clear anywhere always ask.

All of the rural sites that I use say empty in the hedgerows and around saplings. Seems good to me!

TF

We were staying on a CS near Kirbymoorside, last year and when the owner saw me setting up the Wastemaster, he specifically asked me not to do that - and run a waste pipe into the nearby hedge, instead. On the other hand, when I suggested the same thing to the owner of another site, I was told in no uncertain terms that it was a definite 'no-no'.

I have been on 5 van sites where they don't want you dumping grey water into the hedge because it encourages rats.

Re disposing of grey water this way or that way being "acceptable!!", then surely in this case the judge of that is the site owners?

If the owners have a septic rather than cess tank system, then the grey water with the food laden kitchen waste water, is "grist to the mill" for the nucleus of bacteria these need? Here, what is then not "acceptable" is the use of non biological loo additives.

The correct answer is of course to do what the land owner tells you to do.  Rats are just a likely to be attracted to the water than any food particles.  Anyway what do people put down their sinks we never have anything bigger than a few grains of rice and the odd coffee ground.  

I know very little about septic tanks, except we have friends who have one in Spain, they tell me that they can't use biological washing detergents because they can destroy the tanks eco system.   

I can't recall any CL that I have been to where I have been requested to put the grey water down a drain, it has always been disposed of under a hedge or around a tree etc. According to numerous gardening gurus, there is nothing wrong with grey water for the garden so not really any different to a hedgerow. I always consider that if I would be happy to put my hand in the water it presents no problem.

As regards rats, if the tiny amount of food particles are thought to attract them then they must be present already. Personally I have never seen any.

In France most site owners are only too pleased that water is disposed of around trees, bushes and plants because of the frequently more arid conditions that in the UK. Finding a suitable drain, particularly for something like a wastemaster, is usually quite difficult. Most drains are beneath the water taps but are usually not much more than a soak away for the small spillage when the taps are being used.

I ask the CL owner if it's not obvious - as Boff mentions. I find the owner comes 'a knocking for the fees before I have to empty my waste tank. I'm also wary of letting the waste tank fill to 100litres before emptying because that could cause a tidal surge when emptied in the hedgerow!

Most of the CL's we visit ask for us to use the hedgerow or plants/trees around the site.   The main reason is that if the septic is filled with grey water it will require emptying more frequently which is an additional cost to the CL owner.    It times of low rainfall, watering the vegetation is helpful. 

As long as it's not on the pitch, I don't' see a problem.