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Recycling and reuse in action
- Recycling for new residential areas
- Recycling for industry
- Recycling for the environment
- Recycling for irrigation
- Recycling and reuse - what it is
- Recycled water updates and fact sheets
- Recycling and reuse in action
- Recycled water quality
- Recycled water plumbing
- Recycled water pricing
- Sewer mining
Recycling water for homes, irrigation and industry
Across greater Sydney more than 20 recycled water schemes recycle around 25 billion litres of treated wastewater each year:
- One of Australia's largest water recycling schemes in Wollongong
- One of Australia's largest residential recycled water schemes
- a Biosolids Strategy that is one of the most successful in the world
- many more recycling projects planned and under construction.
A major new recycling project will provide recycled water via dual reticulation to all 160,000 new homes in western Sydney's new suburbs, as well as for agriculture, industry and environmental river flows. In built-up areas of Sydney, new localised water recycling schemes are being pursued that will employ treated wastewater, sewer mining and stormwater harvesting.
To help households and schools save precious drinking water through reuse, Sydney Water also offers a rebate for installing a rainwater tank.
What is water reuse and recycling?
Reuse is about using water that would otherwise be wasted - wastewater, stormwater, rainwater, and greywater - instead of using fresh drinking water.
Recycling water, a subset of reuse, involves going a step further to treat wastewater or stormwater to a high standard for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.
What are biosolids?
Biosolids are the nutrient rich organic material obtained from treating wastewater. Approximately 185,000 tonnes of biosolids are produced annually by Sydney Water, which are beneficially used in agriculture, composting and land rehabilitation.
