IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p8145-d1148995.html

Challenges and Perspectives of Nature-Based Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Rural Areas of Central and Eastern Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Darja Istenič

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

  • Igor Bodík

    (Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovakia University of Technology Bratislava, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia)

  • Maret Merisaar

    (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Tallinn University of Technology, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia)

  • Magdalena Gajewska

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland)

  • Michal Šereš

    (Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 01 Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Tjaša Griessler Bulc

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Abstract

In Central and Eastern Europe, about one-third of the population lives in small settlements (<2000 PE). Since the current European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) does not clearly regulate the collection and treatment of wastewater from these settlements, countries solve the problem individually. Simple and robust technologies such as nature-based treatment systems could be the solution and are widely applied in many EU countries. In this paper, the status of wastewater collection, treatment, and reuse in rural areas of 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe is presented together with the spread of different nature-based treatment systems. The results show that in the last decade, connection to wastewater treatment plants has increased from 9% to 19% of the total population in small settlements. The use of treated water is rarely applied. Sequencing batch reactors and other types of activated sludge systems predominate in treatment technologies. Nature-based treatment systems (mainly treatment wetlands) are used in all the countries studied. Their implementation is slowly increasing, hampered by lack of acceptance by authorities, lack of good case studies, and misdesigned or misoperated examples from the past. More awareness, formalized training on nature-based treatment systems, and supportive legislation are needed to promote sustainable sanitation solutions in small settlements.

Suggested Citation

  • Darja Istenič & Igor Bodík & Maret Merisaar & Magdalena Gajewska & Michal Šereš & Tjaša Griessler Bulc, 2023. "Challenges and Perspectives of Nature-Based Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Rural Areas of Central and Eastern Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8145-:d:1148995
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8145/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8145/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shahryar Ershad Sarabi & Qi Han & A. Georges L. Romme & Bauke de Vries & Laura Wendling, 2019. "Key Enablers of and Barriers to the Uptake and Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Settings: A Review," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Donata Dubber & Laurence Gill, 2014. "Application of On-Site Wastewater Treatment in Ireland and Perspectives on Its Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-20, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Benjamin Hueber & Amando Reber, 2025. "Small-Scale Hybrid Participation and Heat Mitigation Measures by Active Bottom Surface Cooling—Need for an Integrated Framework to Improve Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-30, August.
    2. Adams, Clare & Frantzeskaki, Niki & Moglia, Magnus, 2023. "Mainstreaming nature-based solutions in cities: A systematic literature review and a proposal for facilitating urban transitions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Marino, Mina D. & Furuseth, Ingvild Skumlien & Enge, Caroline & Solli, Gunnhild Storbekkrønning & Barkved, Line J., 2025. "Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation in urban areas: A Norwegian planning perspective," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    4. Agnieszka Karczmarczyk & Agnieszka Bus & Anna Baryła, 2021. "Assessment of the Efficiency, Environmental and Economic Effects of Compact Type On-Site Wastewater Treatment Plants—Results from Random Testing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Claudia Shantal Moreno & Rosa Maria Roman-Cuesta & Steven W. J. Canty & Jorge Herrera & Claudia Teutli & Aarón Israel Muñiz-Castillo & Melanie McField & Melina Soto & Cibele do Amaral & Steven Paton &, 2022. "Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Nature-Based Solutions for Hurricane Risk Reduction Policies in the Mexican Caribbean," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, September.
    6. Maruf Ahmad & Jinfeng Du, 2026. "Unlocking Financial Potential for Urban Nature‐Based Solutions: A PRISMA‐Based Systematic Review," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 510-532, February.
    7. Maria Ignatieva & Fahimeh Mofrad, 2023. "Understanding Urban Green Spaces Typology’s Contribution to Comprehensive Green Infrastructure Planning: A Study of Canberra, the National Capital of Australia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-27, April.
    8. Rita Mendonça & Peter Roebeling & Teresa Fidélis & Miguel Saraiva, 2021. "Policy Instruments to Encourage the Adoption of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Landscapes," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Ryfisch, Simon & Seeger, Isabel & McDonald, Hugh & Lago, Manuel & Blicharska, Malgorzata, 2023. "Opportunities and limitations for Nature-Based Solutions in EU policies – Assessed with a focus on ponds and pondscapes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    10. Mo Wang & Jiayu Zhao & Jin Su & Rana Muhammad Adnan Ikram & Manling Yang, 2025. "Navigating Flooding Challenges in Historical Urban Contexts: Integrating Nature-Based Solutions with Spatial Multi-Criteria Assessments in Quanzhou," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-23, February.
    11. Mariusz Starzec & Józef Dziopak & Daniel Słyś, 2020. "An Analysis of Stormwater Management Variants in Urban Catchments," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Glauco Gallotti & Marco Antonio Santo & Ilektra Apostolidou & Jacopo Alessandri & Alberto Armigliato & Bidroha Basu & Sisay Debele & Alessio Domeneghetti & Alejandro Gonzalez-Ollauri & Prashant Kumar , 2021. "On the Management of Nature-Based Solutions in Open-Air Laboratories: New Insights and Future Perspectives," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-21, April.
    13. Elena Di Pirro & Peter Roebeling & Lorenzo Sallustio & Marco Marchetti & Bruno Lasserre, 2023. "Cost-Effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions under Different Implementation Scenarios: A National Perspective for Italian Urban Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, March.
    14. Gaby, B. Hansen & Christina, A. Breed, 2026. "Urban climate adaptation planning in Windhoek, Namibia: Gaps, challenges, and opportunities for Nature based Solutions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Beatriz Kauark-Fontes & César E. Ortiz-Guerrero & Livia Marchetti & Jaime Hernández-Garcia & Fabio Salbitano, 2023. "Towards Adaptive Governance of Urban Nature-Based Solutions in Europe and Latin America—A Qualitative Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-23, March.
    16. Osheen & Mitthan Lal Kansal & Deepak Singh Bisht, 2024. "Enhancing Urban Drainage Infrastructure Through Implementation of Low Impact Development Techniques," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 38(12), pages 4517-4540, September.
    17. Xiaoting Lv & Ziang Wu & Yuan Sui, 2025. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Understanding the Dynamics of Urban Shrinkage and the Impact on Innovation in China: A Comprehensive Analysis," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6281-6314, June.
    18. Soini, Katriina & Anderson, Carl Cyrus & Polderman, Annemarie & Teresa, Carlone & Sisay, Debele & Kumar, Prashant & Mannocchi, Matteo & Mickovski, Slobodan & Panga, Depy & Pilla, Francesco & Preuschma, 2023. "Context matters: Co-creating nature-based solutions in rural living labs," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    19. Venuti, Francesco, 2025. "Bridging NbS and legal literature: Institutional, procedural and substantive barriers to nature-based solutions implementation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    20. Hebba Haddad & John Bryden & Stuart Connop, 2025. "Practitioner Perceptions of Mainstreaming Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS): A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Direct Versus Indirect Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-22, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8145-:d:1148995. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.