Wastewater Reuse in the EU and Southern European Countries: Policies, Barriers and Good Practices
Authors: Jurgita Malinauskaite, Bertrand Delpech, Luca Montorsi, Matteo Venturelli, Wolfgang Gernjak, Morgan Abily, Tadej Stepišnik Perdih, Eleni Nyktari, Hussam Jouhara
Journal: Sustainability
Year: 2024
Keywords: Wastewater reuse; Regulation (EU) 2020/741; Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive; good practices of wastewater reuse
Figure 2: The main EU directives and regulations in a water reuse system (redesigned based on the Commission guidelines on water reuse
Abstract
Ensuring sustainable consumption of water, which is essential for human development, is not sufficient; therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the reuse of treated wastewater.
This paper reviews the newest EU legislation related to reclaimed water reuse, which is the main driver for change. While there are some positive developments in the EU, the paper argues that current EU legislation does not sufficiently encourage circular solutions, particularly regarding how to address bottleneck effects that prevent wastewater from being fully utilised.
This reflection is based on national and regional developments in Italy, with comparisons to other Southern European countries, such as Greece and Spain, in an attempt to identify good practices as well as barriers to the reuse of reclaimed water.
Citation: Malinauskaite, J., Delpech, B., Montorsi, L., Venturelli, M., Gernjak, W., Abily, M., Stepišnik Perdih, T., Nyktari, E., & Jouhara, H. (2024). Wastewater reuse in the EU and Southern Eur
Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411277
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