Challenges and opportunities for decentralised water technologies in Scotland

Abstract

The paradigm of centralised water and wastewater services is coming under significant pressure from multiple global factors. Therefore, there is a need to consider the challenges and opportunities for decentralised water and wastewater technologies and systems. This search is particularly relevant within the context of Scotland, where a proportion of the population uses existing decentralised technologies. The Scottish context shows that those using decentralised services struggle to manage their water and wastewater services without appropriate support. However, the global goals of universal access to safe water and adequate sanitation, a just transition to net-zero and community empowerment, provide opportunities and policy pathways towards the implementation and improvement of decentralised technologies and systems. HIGHLIGHTS Decentralised water and wastewater systems provide an alternative to traditional carbon-intensive centralised infrastructure.; Challenges with existing decentralised systems in Scotland are a rural issue due to historical factors.; Opportunities for improvements to the management of decentralised systems are universal access to water and sanitation, a just transition to net-zero and community empowerment.;

Keywords

• decentralised technologies
• policy
• scotland
• sustainable development
• wastewater
• water