Wastewater – Turning Problem to Solution - UNEP Rapid Response Assessment

This report reviews progress in wastewater management a decade after an earlier global assessment and evaluates how wastewater can be transformed from an environmental liability into a resource. It sets out the scale of untreated discharges, associated risks to biodiversity and human health, and the limited proportion currently reused. Drawing on case studies and global data, it examines technological, economic and governance approaches for water recycling, nutrient and energy recovery, and heat extraction. The report analyses barriers including social acceptability, financing, regulatory coherence and data gaps, and highlights the need for systemic, circular management models supported by policy integration, capacity-building, monitoring and inclusive stakeholder engagement across sectors and scales.