Water Recycling Issue in Australia - Case Study Example

Investigating а Sосiаl Маrkеting Issue Name Institution Course Tutor Date Report topic: Water recycling in Australia Introduction Water recycling is very essential in Australia because it enhances economic growth. Recycled water is used to improve the water supply in Australia since it is used for amenity and agricultural purposes. It is clear that Australia faces water shortage; hence the effectiveness of recycling water for non-drinking purposes and for environmental conservation. Water recycling in the Australian territories and states is very common because of the short supply of water and yet it is a very essential resource in the continent. It is evident that recycled water offers benefits to the Australian society because there is minimal discharge of contaminant loads and nutrients into the rivers and oceans. This is where sewage affluent is first treated before being discharged into the estuaries, rivers, and oceans. This report seeks to explore the practice of water recycling in Australia. The report considers the social marketing campaign and a theory of behaviour change that is applied to implement the practice in the Australian continent. The content of this report is primarily sourced from several journal articles and other publications published about the report topic. Findings or results Recycling water is very common and beneficial in Australia for non-drinking and industrial uses. The study done by Apostolidis, Hertle and Young (2011, 874) found out that, the need for water in Australia exceeds the water supply and due to this problem, the Australian government recommended for a solution, which is recycling of water. It is evident that the use of water per person per year is around 1.3 million litres in Australia. Nevertheless, 67% of the water is used for agricultural activities and 9% for household purposes. According to the research done by Al-Rifai, Khabbaz and Schäfer (2011, 63), the Australian government in collaboration with the stakeholders have created a ‘water recycling strategy’ that is applied in the entire Australian continent to deal with the shortage of water supply. It is evident that recycled water has a number of uses, such as agriculture, which is the major use, electricity and gas production, manufacturing in the industries, household, and mining among other activities. As found out by Antony, Subhi, Henderson, Khan, Stuetz, Le-Clech and Leslie (2012, 11), recycling water in Australia leads to improvement of the water quality because the sewage effluent is discharged into the rivers and oceans after being adequately treated. Page, Dillon, Toze, Bixio, Genthe, Jiménez Cisneros and Wintgens (2010, 1847) found that, the need for water in the Agricultural enterprises is very high in Australia, but the supply of water from the water resources is low. Ultimately, treatment of the sewage effluents is beneficial because that water can be discharged to the irrigation scheme for agricultural purposes. Ghimire, Richardson, Kong, Hu, Lea‐Cox, Ross and Hong (2011, 716) found out that, large percentage of the water used for manufacturing and household purposes end up in the ‘reticulated wastewater stream’. Australians also get an alternative water supply and become free from shortage of rivers and the background water sources. There is also improved agriculture through irrigation of amenity horticulture and crops. Shortage of water is a case, which has been experienced in Australia for many years, and recycling practice is implemented through the ‘theory of reasoned action’. It is clear that recycling of water is done with consideration of the results, which are solutions to water shortage. It is clear that different Australian regions recycle their water through regional water recycling policies to solve the problem of water shortage. Ultimately, Australians recycle water with the intention of changing their behaviour of throwing away the used water and discharging wastewater into the rivers, which makes the water from water sources contaminated. Hurlimann and Dolnicar (2012, 6502) found that, the Australian society has togetherness in the implementation of national recycling policy because the practice of recycling water is beneficial to all. According to the ‘national social marketing campaign conducted by the ‘state water strategy’ in Western Australia, around 20% of the treated wastewater from industries was recycled in 2012. The campaign aimed at encouraging many people to undertake the practice of recycling their used water into other purposes as this would solve the problem of water shortage in Australian continent. In addition, this campaign ensured that, people were educated on the need of recycling water and information about water recycling was published and distributed through the newspapers, magazines, journals, and read during the news sessions. The public was given an opportunity to give their opinions about the practice of water recycling in the continent in order to consider their perceptions during the conduct of the practice in the states. Macova, Toze, Hodgers, Mueller, Bartkow and Escher (2011, 4241) found that, after the campaign, there has been great change in how industries conduct their activities because discharge of contaminated wastewater into the rivers and oceans has been reducing and the industries have become responsible for their waste. In addition, Australians have been recycling their household water for use in the agricultural schemes especially in the urban areas since people direct their household water to their kitchen garden where they grow vegetables. Uses of recycled water Recycled water in Australia has different uses and they include agriculture, manufacturing, household, and other activities, such as fighting with fire and municipal landscapes. According to Hurlimann and Dolnicar (2012, 6499), recycled water is commonly used for agricultural purposes where water from the treated sewage effluents is directed to the lands or the irrigation areas for agricultural activities. It is clear that most of the rainfall water in Australia is drained in the land and very little flow to the rivers and oceans. This makes the supply of water minimal and inadequate to meet the water needs in the continent. There has been a major social marketing campaign conducted by the stakeholders in relation to the need for recycling the available water. For instance at the Rouse Hill (Sydney), the need for water is high, but the supply of drinking water is inadequate, thus leading to implementation of recycling projects to enhance agricultural activities. According to the research done by Dolnicar, Hurlimann and Grün (2012, 48), approximately 230 schemes of recycled water make use of the recycled water and all are located into the Australian urban environments. In addition, around 270 water schemes are used for agricultural purposes, thus making agricultural activities to use the highest percentage of recycled water, which is around 82% of the recycled water in the continent. Van der Bruggen (2010, 51) articulates that, in the agricultural sector, recycled water is used for horticulture, dairy farming, and pasture. It is clear that Australians use recycled water to grow vegetables, grapes, and fruits. Recycled water is also used in the parks, sporting grounds, and golf courses for their recreational purposes. There are various reasons why recycling water in Australia is important. According to the argument put forth by Ward and Dillon (2012, 947), recycled water allows people to conserve the ‘high quality water’ for ‘high value uses’ since they can be used for activities that require ‘low quality water’. It is evident that as the state population grows, the volume of wastewater that can be recycled grows, thus the campaign for recycling in order to prevent shortage of water in the states. Callaghan, Moloney and Blair (2012, 28) state that, recycling of wastewater is economical compared to other methods of water treatment, such as desalination because it consumes less energy. In addition, there is always availability of wastewater to recycle because consumption of water is continuous during the year and the wastewater is climate independent. The process of recycling water in Australia Recycling of water is done through treatment technology where chemicals are put into the water to reduce the contaminant and nutrient levels and make it safe for reuse. It is clear from the Australia’s water industry that there are national guidelines that should be followed when recycling water in order to meet health and safety standards. Once the wastewater is discharged to the recycling plant, the plant puts chemical into the wastewater and then discharges it back to the rivers and oceans to be used for other purposes. Once the wastewater is treated, it might be discharged to the rivers and oceans or be recycled for other purposes. Mainali, Ngo, Guo, Pham and Johnston (2011, 89) identify that, many manufacturing industries treat the wastewater before discharging it to the rivers in order to improve environmental quality. There is implementation of national recycling water guidelines to ensure fitness of the recycled water. When people are undertaking agricultural activities using recycled water, they are supposed to follow some guidelines from safety of the pastures and crops (O'Connor, Garnier & Batchelor 2014, 13). This ensures that food grown using the recycled water is healthy and safe for human consumption and use of recycled water for agricultural purposes does not compromise the environmental quality. Risks associated with recycling of water During the process of recycling water, there are some risks that are associated with the practice and they include the microbial pathogens, which are harmful for human health. Consequently, as articulated by Pham, Ngo, Guo, Dang, Mainali, Johnston and Listowski (2011, 538), it is necessary to ensure that the recycled water is fit for the intended use. Ayache, Pidou, Gernjak, Poussade, Croué, Tazi-Pain and Keller (2012, 79) state that, recycled water is associated with some environmental risks, such as phosphorus, nitrogen, sodicity, salinity, chloride residuals, surfactants, sodium, boron, hydraulic loading, and sodium. It is necessary to ensure improved risk management practices when undertaking the water recycling practice. Conclusions/recommendations In order to improve the practice of recycling water in Australia, it is necessary for Australians to adhere to the requirements of the recycled water policy. There should be improvement of safety and environmental sustainability from the use of the recycled water. During the practice of recycling water, it is necessary to follow the recycling national guidelines to prevent issues associated with poor environmental and human health. There should be close monitoring of the recycling water system and the use of the recycled water should be done responsibly. In addition, it is necessary for the users of the recycled water to be careful about the sources of the wastewater and seek to understand the system used to treat the effluents for preventive measures. Recycled water should be of the quality that is fit for the planned purpose in order to improve its safety. It is necessary to follow the recycling guidelines and risk management principles when conducting the recycling activity to prevent experience of the risks associated with recycling of water. In order to enhance safety of farmers and consumers of recycled water, it is very important to follow the guidelines set by the ‘State Departments of Health and Environmental Protection Authorities’. When using recycled water at the house, it is significant to restrict the usage for the laundry and toilet purposes, but not for human consumption. As emphasized by the theory of reasoned action, it is necessary to conduct the recycling practice with consideration of its results and there has to be some intended purpose. All Australians should join hands in the campaign to prevent discharge of wastewater from the industries to the water resources in order to improve their health and environmental quality. 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