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EU adopts recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive

Quaternary treatment for micropollutants, energy neutrality for the sector, and extended producer responsibility for pharma and cosmetics.

The European Union completed adoption of the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive in late 2024, the biggest overhaul of Europe's wastewater rules since 1991. The recast extends treatment obligations to smaller agglomerations, mandates quaternary treatment for micropollutants at large plants on a phased timetable, and sets the sector on a path to energy neutrality.

A signature provision introduces extended producer responsibility, requiring pharmaceutical and cosmetics producers to fund the bulk of micropollutant-removal costs. For technology suppliers, the directive is a structural demand signal for ozonation, activated-carbon and advanced-oxidation trains across thousands of European plants.

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