Interview H.M. Smith and J.A.G. Frijns - Are you happy to drink purified wastewater?

“More and more people are coming to accept wastewater recycling as a way to produce clean water for drinking. That is according to a new survey from Cranfield University.
It is often assumed that the public will reject the use of wastewater as a source for drinking water due to the perceived ‘yuck’ factor. This can become a block to realising wastewater recycling projects, even in places where water scarcity is critical and the need for new sources is urgent. However, the survey of 2,500 people reveals that people are more open to wastewater recycling than previously thought.
In the Netherlands, 75% of the respondents supported or strongly supported the use of recycled water for drinking, compared to 73% in Spain and 67% in the UK. Interestingly, there was higher support still for consuming food grown using recovered nutrients from wastewater than drinking recycled water – 75% in the Netherlands, 74% in the UK, and 85% in Spain.”

(Citation: Wiseman, N. – Interview H.M. Smith and J.A.G. Frijns – Are you happy to drink purified wastewater? – www.makewaterfamous.com (2021)15 November)