Introduction to Recharge and Reuse
This factsheet is the Recharge and Reuse Tools site.
Reuse and Recharge
In this section you’ll find the hardware and softwares approaches for sustainable water and nutrient recharge and reuse. It comprises methods for domestic, agricultural and industrial wastewater recycling. Recharge and reuse is primarily determined by the treatment steps that precede it, and it influences almost all other areas of the water and nutrient cycle: Water sources (e.g. by polluting them - or by restoring them), the subsequent form of purification and also distribution and use (if water is recharged or reused, this increases water availability)
- Hardware
- Software
- Sections
- Creating an Enabling Environment
- Introduction
- Reuse of Urine and Faeces in Agriculture
- Awareness Raising
- Reuse of Blackwater and Greywater in Agriculture
- Command and Control Tools
- Recharge and Disposal
- Economic Tools
- Energy Products from Sludge
- Household and Industry Reuse
Creating an Enabling Environment
Creating Policies and a Legal Framework (RR)
A core governmental role is to formulate policies, through which the government can delimit the activities of all sanitation and water management…
Building an Institutional Framework (RR)
The term “institutional framework” refers to a set of formal organisational structures, rules and informal norms for service provision. Such a…
Bundling and Unbundling of Functions (RR)
The clear allocation of functions for the implementation of sustainable sanitation and water management is crucial for its outcomes. Overlapping…
Strengthening Enforcement Bodies (RR)
Enforcement bodies have a very important role in establishing and ensuring the effective application of other software tools in sustainable…
Decentralisation (RR)
In order to increase sanitation and water management efficiency and improve equity and justice for local people, a participatory and community-based…
Public Private Partnerships (RR)
The public sector might not be able to cope with the challenges regarding sanitation and water management and therefore cooperates with the private…
Privatisation (RR)
“Public sector utilities in developing countries have often not been efficient in providing access to reliable water and sanitation services. [...]…
Nationalisation (RR)
The nationalisation of sanitation and water management is one option for (local) governments to cope with the increasing problem of lacking…
Developing Human Resources (RR)
The development of human resources is at the core of sustainable development. People and communities that are empowered with the necessary knowledge…
Introduction
Sanitation Systems
Sanitation systems are a combination of different functional units that together allow managing and reusing or disposing the different waste flows…
Reuse of Urine and Faeces in Agriculture
Application of Stored Urine
Stored urine is a concentrated source of nutrients that can be applied as a liquid fertilizer in agriculture and replace all or some commercial…
Urine Fertilisation (Large-scale)
Separately collected and hygienised urine is a concentrated source of nutrients which can be applied as a liquid fertilizer in agriculture to replace…
Fill and Cover / Arborloo
To decommission a pit, it can simply be filled with soil and covered. Although there is no received benefit, the full pit poses no immediate health…
Application of Dehydrated Faeces
When faeces are stored in the absence of moisture (i.e., urine), they [8251-dehydrate] into a crumbly, white-beige coarse, flaky material or powder.…
Fertiliser from Urine (Struvite)
Urine in the ecosystem causes eutrophication or algae blooms, which suffocates fish and kills aquatic ecosystems. Urine is so effective at helping…
Fertiliser from Sludge
There exist several new processes, which aim at recover the nutrients, mainly phosphorus from sewage sludge. ASH DEC for instance refers to N-P-K…
Application of Pit Humus and Compost
Compost is the soil-like substance resulting from the controlled aerobic degradation of organics. Pit humus is the term used to describe the material…
Awareness Raising
School Campaigns (RR)
A school campaign on water and sanitation consists of two main components: one component is the provision of safe water and sanitation facilities in…
SSWM in School Curriculums (RR)
This tool involves the integration of relevant sustainable water, hygiene and sanitation topics into school education in order to increase knowledge…
Empowering Young People as Promoters (RR)
Empowering young people as promoters in the field of water and sanitation is a way of assuring that a project or programme has a greater effect and…
Media Campaigns - Internet and Email (RR)
The media (television, radio, print media, internet and email) play a significant role in spreading information and raising awareness on water and…
Media Campaigns - Posters and Flyers (RR)
The media (television, radio, print media, internet and email) play a significant part in spreading information on Sustainable Sanitation and Water…
Media Campaigns - Radio (RR)
The media (television, radio, print media, internet and email) play a significant role in spreading information and raising awareness on water and…
Media Campaigns - Video (RR)
The media (video, radio, print media, internet and email) play a significant part in spreading information on SSWM and in awareness raising. They…
Creating Information Material (RR)
Creating appropriate and specific information materials for water and sanitation programmes is of key importance and a way to assure a strong and…
Advocacy - Influencing Leaders (RR)
"Advocacy is the action of delivering an argument to gain commitment from political and social leaders and to prepare a society for a particular…
Corporate Social Responsibility (RR)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the continuing commitment by businesses to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while…
Social Marketing (RR)
Social marketing is the use of commercial marketing techniques to promote the adoption of behaviour that will improve the health or well-being of the…
Reuse of Blackwater and Greywater in Agriculture
Fish Pond (Aquaculture)
Fish can be grown in ponds that receive effluent or sludge where they can feed on algae and other organisms that grow in the nutrient-rich water. The…
Vertical Gardens
The term vertical garden refers to any kind of construction and support structure for growing plants in an upwards-directed, vertical way and thereby…
Greywater Towers
A greywater tower is a circular bag, which is filled with soil, ash and/or compost mixture and a gravel column at the centre. It is used to treat and…
Floating Plant Pond
A floating plant pond is a modified maturation pond with floating (macrophyte) plants. Plants such as water hyacinths or duckweed float on the…
Irrigation
To reduce dependence on freshwater and maintain a constant source of water for irrigation throughout the year, wastewater of varying quality can be…
Command and Control Tools
Standards (RR)
Standards are requirements based on risk limits. They are often established by authorities to impose levels of pollution control by determining…
Restrictions (RR)
Restrictions and prohibitions are a part of command & control tools, i.e. which are regulatory instruments that are direct and mandatory.…
Recharge and Disposal
Leach Field
A leach field, or drainage field, is a network of perforated pipes that are laid in underground gravel-filled trenches to dissipate the effluent from…
Soak Pit
A soak pit, also known as a soakaway or leach pit, is a covered, porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak into the ground. Pre-settled…
Retention Basin
Retention basins are among the most frequently implemented storm water management systems. They are used to collect surface runoff and to improve the…
Water Disposal / Groundwater Recharge
Treated effluent and/or stormwater can be directly discharged into receiving water bodies (such as rivers, lakes, etc.) or into the ground to…
Surface Disposal and Storage
Surface disposal refers to the stockpiling of sludge, faeces or other materials that cannot be used elsewhere. Once the material has been taken to a…
Evapo-transpiration Beds
Evapotranspiration beds are an alternative secondary treatment solution for greywater, pre-treated effluents from septic tanks, anal cleansing water…
Short Rotation Plantations
A short rotation plantation (SRP) is an integrated agro forestry land-use system combining biomass production with wastewater use and purification.…
Surface Groundwater Recharge
Artificial recharge is the planned, man-made increase of groundwater levels. By improving its natural replenishment capacities and percolation from…
Subsurface Groundwater Recharge
Artificial recharge is the planned, man-made increase of groundwater levels. By improving its natural replenishment capacities and percolation from…
Stormwater Management
Stormwater management means to manage surface runoff. It can be applied in rural areas (e.g. to harvest precipitation water), but is essential in…
Soil Aquifer Treatment
Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) is an artificial groundwater aquifer recharge option. Water is introduced into the groundwater through soil percolation…
Application of Sludge
Depending on the treatment type and quality, digested or stabilized sludge can be applied to public or private lands for landscaping or agriculture.
Economic Tools
Subsidies (RR)
A subsidy (also known as a subvention) is a form of financial assistance paid to an individual, a business or an economic sector in order to achieve…
Tradable Water Rights
Tradable water rights are one of several market-based instruments used in water management and pollution control. In economic theory, they are…
Water Charges
Water charges are a widely used economic instrument implied mainly by federal governments to better control water use and water pollution by imposing…
Energy Products from Sludge
Biogas Electricity (Small-scale)
Biogas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen sulphide produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Biogas can…
Biogas Electricity (Large-scale)
Biogas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen sulphide produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Biogas can…
Heat Recovery from Sludge
Wastewater treatment processes produce sewage sludge,which has to be discharged after an appropriate treatment. Nowadays, there are several new…
Biogas Combustion
In principal, biogas can be used like other fuel gas. When produced in household-level [8221-biogas reactors], it is most suitable for cooking.…
Household and Industry Reuse
Wastewater Reuse in Industry
Reusing water in industry has the potential to reduce the costs of water supply and wastewater treatment by industries and reduces pressure on water…
Wastewater Reuse at Home
Domestic water use represents a growing proportion of global water use. Water use optimisation means resistance to chronic and short-term water…
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