'Water recycling solution to rising drinking water prices'
The price of drinking water is going up, and water recycling may provide a solution.
Published on December 2, 2024
The price of drinking water is going up significantly. For example, Vitens and Waterbedrijf Groningen are raising their tariffs in 2025 by almost 11 and 13 percent, respectively. Other water companies are also announcing similar price increases. These increases are caused by factors such as inflation, increasing costs and necessary investments in infrastructure. At the same time, pressure on water resources is increasing, due in part to population growth and climate change. Despite these challenges, drinking water remains relatively cheap, leading to unaware and sometimes wasted use.
Nick Post of Hydraloop, a pioneer in graywater recycling: “Water recycling offers a solution. Such technologies clean graywater - such as shower and washing machine water - into safe reusable water for applications such as toilet flushing and washing machine use. This saves an average of 40 percent drinking water. It also reduces wastewater flow by 40 percent, keeping sewers - especially during times of extreme rainfall - functioning better.”
Reusing water is essential for the Netherlands. Of the 900,000 homes needed by 2035, about 300,000 cannot be built due to a shortage of drinking water. By recycling water locally, the pressure on drinking water supplies can be reduced, enabling more efficient construction.
Post: “Rising water prices are a wake-up call for consumers and policy makers. Water recycling should become standard in new construction and large-scale renovations. Not only to save costs and water, but also to future-proof infrastructure. Drinking water is too valuable to use only once.”
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