SANITATION, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

The report advocates for a paradigm shift in sanitation and wastewater management, moving from a disposal-centric model to a circular economy approach that recovers water, nutrients, and energy. It details the technical, institutional, and financial frameworks necessary to implement sustainable systems that protect human health and the environment while providing economic benefits.

• Globally, human excreta and municipal wastewater production is estimated at 9.5 million m3 and 900 million m3 per day, respectively. These streams contain enough nutrients to replace 25% of synthetic nitrogen and 15% of phosphorus used in agriculture, and enough water to irrigate 15% of the world's farmland.
• Inadequate sanitation and wastewater management cause significant global economic losses, estimated at 1.5% of global GDP, with higher impacts in sub-Saharan Africa (4.3%) and South Asia (2.9%).
• The cost of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) by 2030 is estimated between US$74 billion and US$166 billion per year.
• Sustainable sanitation systems are defined as those that minimize resource depletion, protect human health, minimize environmental degradation, and are technically, institutionally, socially, and economically viable in the long term.
• Resource recovery can significantly reduce the costs of wastewater management; for example, source separation of nutrient-rich urine can potentially halve capital expenditure and reduce operating expenditure by 25% in centralized waterborne systems.
• The report identifies several critical exposure pathways for pathogens in sanitation systems, including the user interface, storage/treatment technologies, sludge conveyance, and the consumption of crops irrigated with untreated wastewater.
• A multi-barrier risk management approach, which combines technical treatment with non-technical behavioral measures, is recommended to ensure the safe agricultural reuse of wastewater and excreta.
• Untreated wastewater discharge leads to eutrophication, where excessive nutrients boost algal growth, depleting oxygen and causing 'fish kills' and harmful algal blooms (HABs).
• Effective governance for resource recovery requires a shift from technology-prescriptive mandates to function-based regulations, as demonstrated in Sweden where local authorities set requirements based on the desired environmental and health outcomes.
• The report emphasizes that no single technology is inherently sustainable; instead, systems must be designed based on local geographical, geophysical, and socio-cultural factors, such as water availability and population density.

APA

Andersson, K., Rosemarin, A., Lamizana, B., Kvarnström, E., McConville, J., Seidu, R., Dickin, S., & Trimmer, C. (2016). SANITATION, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sanitationwastewatersustainability.pdf

Chicago

Andersson, Kim, Arno Rosemarin, Birguy Lamizana, Elisabeth Kvarnström, Jennifer McConville, Razak Seidu, Sarah Dickin, and Caspar Trimmer. SANITATION, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sanitationwastewatersustainability.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Andersson |first1=Kim |last2=Rosemarin |first2=Arno |last3=Lamizana |first3=Birguy |last4=Kvarnström |first4=Elisabeth |last5=McConville |first5=Jennifer |last6=Seidu |first6=Razak |last7=Dickin |first7=Sarah |last8=Trimmer |first8=Caspar |title=SANITATION, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sanitationwastewatersustainability.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{andersson2016sanitation, author = {Andersson, Kim and Rosemarin, Arno and Lamizana, Birguy and Kvarnström, Elisabeth and McConville, Jennifer and Seidu, Razak and Dickin, Sarah and Trimmer, Caspar}, title = {{SANITATION, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sanitationwastewatersustainability.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }