The treatment process

All treatment plants are slightly different, but the process is generally similar.

Entering the treatment plant.

As wastewater enters a treatment plant it is passed through milliscreens. These are made of fine mesh (about two millimetre wide openings) and act as a sieve to stop any large solids in the wastewater getting through, such as wet-wipes, sanitary products, shampoo bottles, toys, plastic bags, etc (link to "Looking after your wastewater" page). Everything that doesn’t make it through the screens is collected, pressed to squeeze out the excess water, and then transported to a landfill. The liquid that does make it through the milliscreens then flows through a pipeline into an aeration basin.