Wastewater - Turning Problem to Solution

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in Singapore, reclaimed water is branded as “NEWater” (Zandaryaa and Jimenez-Cisneros 2017). In 2015, the United States Government took the step to refer to “water resource recovery facilities” and not “wastewater treatment plants” at the request of the water treatment community to reflect the shift towards a circular economy perspective (National Science Foundation, United States, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency et al. 2015). Expand capacity for collection and resource recovery Reaching the SDG 6.3 target to improve wastewater treatment and reuse requires considerable expansion in wastewater collection and treatment systems. Jones et al. (2022) identified that the largest expansions for

wastewater treatment will need to be in the three largest industrialized nations: China, the United States and India. These three countries account for around 45 per cent of the required expansion. Figure 3.6 shows that 30 countries account for 87 per cent of the total required expansion to meet the target. However, meeting the target is not just about the numbers, but about ensuring the development is equitable, leaving no one behind. The infrastructure required for wastewater collection and treatment is very expensive and technologically challenging, requiring large investment of public funds. States with access to finance and technology have made significant advances in the last decade, but there are also many options for the application of decentralized and affordable low-tech solutions. Some examples are presented in the sections that follow.

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