Criteria for: Water Reuse, Efficient Wastewater Recovery and Reuse Systems

Wastewater recovery and reuse systems

Wastewater recovery and reuse is the recovery of a wastewater stream(s) via physical collection and appropriate treatment(s), followed by the reuse in a specific function(s) with the end result of reducing the total volume of supply (mains and/or abstracted) water required on site.  This does not include such technologies that use membrane filtration technology, as these are already supported separately through the WTL. Pre- and post-treatment may also be incorporated into the process depending on the level of quality required for re-use.

The quantity of water reused and/or recycled, at a particular site, is dependent on the level of treatment, which is directly related to the characteristics of the site effluent and the application required for the treated water.

Due to the complexity of the technology and variations due to tailored designs, it is necessary to use a certification scheme for the inclusion of these technologies into the WTL. The “Certificate of Environmental Benefit” verifies that the particular wastewater recovery and reuse system is or will be constructed to a particular design that meets the specified water-efficient criteria.
Investments in wastewater recovery and reuse systems can only qualify for ECAs if a certificate has been issued for the equipment. A certificate can be revoked in certain circumstances, for example, this could happen if the recovery and reuse system is certified at design stage and the design of the system changes during development or the development ceases.

Businesses investing in this type of equipment MUST provide supporting evidence to Defra via the online application form to demonstrate that the wastewater recovery and reuse system, or the design of the system, meets the eligibility criteria.