A Helophyte Filter can be used to clean water that comes from the sink, shower depending on the size of your community and the size of your filter system. This system can be made using an IBC tote that is cut in half. Next we add the following materials:

1. The first 25 cm is filled with lava stone (or another poreus rock)
2. Geotextile is placed on the rocks to seperate them from the soil
3. Compost soil is added until you reach 10 cm under the top edge.
4. We planted a mix of plants, known for their ability to absorb nutrients from greywater. If we could do it again we would choose only indigenous plants, below you find some good options:
1. Kalmoes (Acorus calamus)
2. Grote Lisdodde (Typha latifolia)
3. Gele Lis (Iris pseudoacorus)
4. Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus)
5. Zegge (hang/pluim
6. Bieze (waterbies)
7. Holpijp (inheems)
8. Kattenstaart
9. Watermunt
10. Moerasvergeetmenietje
11. Labo
12. Derva
5. Shell grit is evenly scattered over the surface to break rain drops
6. We added a grease filter between the kitchen sink and the helophyte filter. This is made with a big sieve with some straw inside. The straw captures the grease and bigger pieces of food. We clean and add new straw every month.
7. It is good to add some stones underneath the grease filter to avoid the water to create a puddle in the soil. This way the water can evenly spread across the soil.

• Alternatives for plastic containers:
• Terra Cotta
• Steel
• Concrete