Wastewater - Turning Problem to Solution

Why focus on wastewater resource recovery and reuse?

As we use water in our lives, our businesses and industries, its physical, chemical or microbiological qualities are inevitably altered. It becomes “wastewater” and is flushed down the drain or down our toilets. Some wastewater is cleaned before it re-enters the water cycle, but this is not always the case with an estimated 48 per cent being released back into the environment untreated (Jones et al. 2021). If human rights and global policy ambitions with regards to water are to be realized, there must be fundamental and systemic changes to our behaviour and attitudes around water use and wastewater. “In a world where demands for fresh water are evergrowing, and where limited water resources are increasingly stressed by overextraction, pollution and climate change, neglecting the opportunities arising from improved wastewater management is nothing less than unthinkable” (WWAP 2017). Water, once used, needs to be collected, treated, any by-products recovered and utilized, and clean water either returned to the environment or reused.

For the purpose of this report, reuse of wastewater is the practice of using untreated, partially treated or treated wastewater for resources, including potable and non-potable water, irrigation water, nutrients, energy and heat value. Safe wastewater reuse is when the wastewater has been subjected to the appropriate level of treatment required to reach the quality standard for the intended purpose. What is meant by “wastewater reuse”? The reuse of wastewater presents a solution for mitigating the environmental, health and climate impacts of wastewater disposal. Wastewater is a renewable resource within the hydrological cycle but can contain harmful contaminants that need to be removed or neutralized. If properly managed, wastewater can be a valuable resource for multiple purposes, including potable water, water for industry, agricultural or aquaculture uses, nutrient recovery for fertilizer and green energy production.

©iStock/Suprabhat Dutta

13