I am a rock Farmer and I love the stuff. The #1 reason for running hydroton for me is stealth. I recover a minimum of 99+% from every grow, I live in an ultra urban enviroment and waste most be measured in ounces not in lbs.
I picked up 4 buckets from the dollar store, drilled holes in the bottom of all but one. Fill a bucket w/ holes 2/3 full and sit inside bucket wo/holes. Fill with hot water and H2O2 at a rate of 15 ml per gallon until rocks are covered. Soak and agitate frequently for 15 mintues. Remove bucket w/ holes from solid bucket, rinse with more hot water, done. Sit aside and drain while working next bucket w/ holes.
I wash a bunch of rocks every 30 days (about 250L) and it's not that complicated or even that hard to be honest. I time my rock washing for the same night I am sitting down there trimming (which realy sucks), gives me a reason to put the scissors down and move about.
jj