Recycling

Providing 12% of our water needs by 2015

Just as recycling our glass and plastics makes sense, so does recycling our water. Using recycled water and harvested stormwater in industry and irrigation, and for flushing toilets and watering gardens is a great way of saving our valuable drinking water.

Right now, 25 billion litres of our water comes from recycling every year and there are already around 18 large-scale recycling schemes across Sydney. Here’s just some of the ways we’re moving towards our target of recycling 70 billion litres by 2015 and 100 billion litres by about 2032:

Construction of an advanced water treatment plant and pipes is underway at St Marys. This will supply 18 billion litres of recycled water a year from 2010, replacing drinking water which is currently being released from Warragamba Dam into the Hawkesbury-Nepean River to keep it healthy.
Australia’s largest dual-pipe residential recycling scheme at Rouse Hill is becoming even bigger. Sydney Water is also building similar schemes at Ropes Crossing and at Hoxton Park, with more to come at Campbelltown, Liverpool and the North West Growth Centre.
Financial and other support has been provided for around 90 projects in greater Sydney and the Central Coast that include stormwater harvesting.
A recycled water scheme to supply industries in the Smithfield, Fairfield and Camellia areas will be built by private companies.
The Water Industry Competition Act 2006 is making it easier for the private sector to invest in recycling.

Find out more about what's next and what’s happening with water recycling in the 2008 Progress Report.

Around 90 stormwater projects that include harvesting have received financial and other support in the greater Sydney and Central Coast areas.

"Stormwater needs to be stored for use, but it comes in anything from a trickle to a flood. Reservoirs to hold, and plants to treat, the collected water are expensive to build and challenging to fit into Sydney. Stormwater harvesting is usually only practical if there is a convenient pond, an aquifer or some other existing storage." - Chris Davis, Interim Chair, Metropolitan Water Plan Independent Review Panel

This page was last updated on 14 Sep 2009.