Sewage (or domestic wastewater or municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical and toxic constituents, and its bacteriologic status (which organisms it contains and in what quantities). It consists mostly of grey water (from sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers), black water (the water used to flush toilets, combined with the human waste that it flushes away); soaps and detergents; and toilet paper (less so in regions where bidets are widely used instead of paper).
Sewage usually travels from a building's plumbing either into a sewer, which will carry it elsewhere, or into an onsite sewage facility (of which there are many kinds). Whether it is combined with surface runoff in the sewer depends on the sewer design (sanitary sewer or combined sewer). The reality is that most wastewater produced globally remains untreated causing widespread water pollution, especially in low-income countries: A global estimate by UNDP and UN-Habitat is that 90% of all wastewater generated is released into the environment untreated.[1] In many developing countries the bulk of domestic and industrial wastewater is discharged without any treatment or after primary treatment only.
Keywords
type
UNDP
tubs
flow
rate
bulk
soaps
sinks
volume
people
bidets
reality
toilets
showers
regions
chemical
building
organisms
community
detergents
UN-Habitat
grey water
many kinds
quantities
black water
dishwashers
environment
human waste
toilet paper
sewer design
combined sewer
sanitary sewer
surface runoff
sewage facility
clothes washers
most wastewater
global estimate
primary treatment
physical condition
toxic constituents
domestic wastewater
bacteriologic status
municipal wastewater
low-income countries
industrial wastewater
many developing countries
widespread water pollution
