Cyclical Economy in Water Supply and Wastewater: European Experience and Opportunities of Post-War Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the cyclical economy on the example of the sphere of water supply and wastewater in European countries. The relevance of the study is due to environmental problems caused by the war in Ukraine, water and soil pollution, climate change, drought, inefficient use of water resources, which quickly exhaust drinking water supplies. The purpose of the study is to consider the European experience in implementing a circular economy using the example of technological and organizational solutions from different EU countries in order to obtain a model for building a closed-cycle technology for domestic water supply and wastewater enterprises. The study used general scientific methods of knowledge, which include induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, methods of statistical analysis, in particular, trend analysis to predict water consumption in the future. The results of the study show the importance of the cyclical economy in solving a number of environmental problems, determining the essence of the cyclical economy, the features of its implementation in the field of water supply and wastewater. It has been established that in the field of water supply and wastewater, the implementation of the concept of a circular economy takes place not only with the help of state regulatory decisions, under the influence of technological solutions, through innovative technologies, the use of other alternative energy sources, but also in close cooperation with the public, active information policy. European experience shows that the implementation of the concept of a circular economy is not available to everyone, and six barriers have been identified that prevent the introduction of water reuse. In order to be able to use such technology within the city, it is necessary to build an appropriate infrastructure. Treated wastewater can be a valuable source of water for agriculture, industrial use, and even drinking water. At the same time, such technologies can be implemented within individual enterprises, however, additional investments should be made for this, which will be occupied by reducing the use of natural resources. For the introduction of circular water and the development of innovative technologies, water supply and wastewater enterprises of Ukraine need: state regulatory support (normative acts and standards); financial support (tariff policy, incentives, direct and indirect assistance); information and innovation policy; risk management system, etc. At the same time, all interested parties should be involved from the very beginning: water supply and wastewater companies, state regulatory bodies, local authorities, agricultural enterprises, farmers, technology companies, scientific research institutes, consumer associations, etc.