Consisting of plants, sand and gravel, a reed bed is an
organic system which is able to reduce the amount of energy used to treat waste.
When waste water is fed into the system, it is treated by microorganisms living
in the roots of the plants, a process which takes approximately 7 days. As a
result, the treated water is able to be recycled and used primarily for grey
water purposes, and depending on the system, the quality occasionally high
enough for drinking. Although a rarity amongst urban environments, reed beds
offer an alternate to the process which often sees Sydney's treated waste water
pumped out to sea. However, it is the implementation of such systems within an
urban environment that is an issue which remains. With space at a premium, roof
tops appear as the obvious option, however the viability of pumping waste water
to them may be disproved through a cost benefit analysis.
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