The Scottish Government will consider the extent to which the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (rUWWTD) should be incorporated into Scottish legislation. Article 8 of the rUWWTD requires a subset of substances from 12 identified to have an 80% load reduction at some of the larger wastewater treatment works over a phased period – 10 of these substances are pharmaceuticals.
Scottish Water and the University of the Highlands and Islands are undertaking a 12-month project to explore whether it is possible for this 80% load reduction to be achieved through a One Health approach combining healthcare interventions together with wastewater treatment.
This is a primarily a desk-based study undertaken through prescription analysis (using the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment SpotFire tool), literature review, and stakeholder workshops. The output is envisioned to detail potential targeted actions at different stages of the pharmaceutical life-cycle (e.g., prescription, use, and disposal) to guide future activity which could reduce pharmaceuticals entering the environment, in combination with the current wastewater treatment processes. Running in parallel with this desk-based study is a sampling programme that will determine the loading reductions achieved through the current treatment process at selected wastewater treatment works.
Check out our project page for more details and updates.
This project is funded by Scottish Water, and runs for approximately 12 months aiming for completion in December 2026.
