Toilet to Reef: A unique recycling program turning your old potty into an ecosystem

If you have an old leaky toilet and plan to replace it, don't throw it away! Rebates through Tampa Bay Water are available, and you can help protect the environment. A new pilot program through Tampa Bay Water and Tampa Bay Watch aims to turn old toilets into oyster reef balls. The 150 to 200-pound pieces of concrete are designed to protect the environment while giving oysters a place to attach and grow. "You got to think about how many toilets are out there. Across all the businesses and all the homes, if there are two and a half million people in the Tampa Bay area, there's probably more than one potty per person," Amelia Brown, Demand Management Program Manager at Tampa Bay Water, said. "Conserving water has a few benefits. It's good for the environment because that means there's more water that you can leave in the rivers and the wetlands and the natural environment. It's good for homeowners and businesses because they can save money on water and wastewater bills. And it's good for the utilities because it's cheaper to conserve water than build new water supplies."