Public perceptions for the acceptability of recycled wastewater usage in households

Abstract

South Africa is a water-stressed country as there is an imbalance between the demand and the supply of potable water. Wastewater reuse is one of the several vital strategies to find the delicate balance between water supply and demand. Reclaimed wastewater not only protects the release of pollutants into the environment but it adds to the supply of potable and non-potable water. However, reclaimed wastewater faces obstacles in sustainable implementation. Many studies have been conducted so far to identify the underlying factors behind the acceptability of wastewater reuse. Public acceptance is the primary threat to the acceptability of these programs or schemes. A noticeable resistance from the communities of different countries has been identified. Given these issues, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate socio-demographic variables including; gender, age, education, religion, marital status and income level on the willingness to use and participate in a reuse plan, to assess the role of knowledge on public acceptance of the recycled water, to identify and study the problems faced by the public towards the acceptability of recycled wastewater usage and to develop a framework to understand the behaviour of the people towards the reuse of wastewater. The study adapted well-structured questionnaires to collect the data. Proportionate random sampling was used with a sample size of 298 responses. The data were analysed through MS Excel, SPSS v 22.0 and AMOS v 24.0 to yield descriptive and inferential statistics. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to provide estimates and test the hypothesised relationships. The study identifies the critical antecedents of the behaviour of wastewater reuse, namely, trust, past experience, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, attitude and intention and tests the relationships using SEM. It further suggests that a significant relationship exists between the variables and the acceptability of wastewater reuse. The other findings were that flushing toilets are mostly accepted (90%), followed by watering gardens (86%), washing clothes (68%) and washing dishes (60%). The acceptance for favourable applications among participants from all religions is highest for toilet flushing, followed by watering gardens, washing clothes, washing dishes, growing food crops, swimming, and at last drinking. Financial incentives and reduced monthly costs on the recycled water were found to help accept the wastewater reuse. The study presents a broad and integrated framework of behaviour towards the acceptability of wastewater. Therefore, the study is an essential contribution toward the acceptability of wastewater reuse, and water stakeholders may use the study's implications to increase public acceptance and alleviate challenges for water reuse. The study recommends that the public should be provided with the education and information on recycling wastewater reuse benefits and risks to achieve both environmental protection and sustainable development.