The Conventional Sewage System and the Global Scarcity of Water
Irrational Use of Resources versus Dry and Circular Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52712/issn.1850-0013-403Keywords:
sewage systems, water, cradle to cradle, circular economy, critical theoryAbstract
The current conventional sewage system, which combines a flushing toilet with a sewage system and eventually treatment plants, is an obsolete and inadequate system that demonstrates an irrational and harmful use of resources, especially water. The prevalence of this system is not explained solely by technical reasons; the motivations that justify its diffusion and permanence are mainly associated with historical and cultural reasons. Currently there are alternatives available that have already competed with the conventional system, and that present clear benefits, such as avoiding water contamination and making efficient use of resources by reintroducing them into production systems as nutrients or raw materials. The scant application of these alternative systems is most likely due to non-technical motivations associated with historically incorporated habits, based on debatable beliefs about human excrement and waste management. Given the current water scarcity crisis, it is urgent to study ways to implement resource-friendly systems and to combine a technical analysis on the adaptations necessary for its massification with an exploration of the cultural barriers that make this implementation difficult.
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