Before & After

Before

Waste water comes from people using water in kitchens and bathrooms in their homes and from commercial and industrial use. In addition, nearly half of the total flow in sewers is from rainy-weather street runoff and from below-ground cracks and faulty connections that allow groundwater into the system. There are often excessive levels of toxic chemicals that are allowed to enter the system, which might prevent the safe application of sludge as fertilizer or threaten the marine environment if the treated water is discharged in to ocean waters. Households are also an important source of toxic chemicals due to the careless dumping of toxic products down household drains. Used motor oil, pesticides, paints, solvents and even many household cleaners pose significant hazards to the environment. Sewage travels through pipes which often leak and need to be maintained by digging up the ground and repairing or replacing sections of pipe. Once the wastewater reaches the treatment plants a series of processes including heating and chemically treating the waste water produces water and solids which can be returned to the environment or used in agriculture.

After

All buildings in Nutopia have waste tanks. Waste from all sinks, showers, and bath tubs is directed to the waste water tank, and waste from toilets is directed to the waste septic tank. There are no chemicals in circulation or being used in Nutopia so the waste tanks are not contaminated with chemicals. The tanks are automatically sent to the Waste Treatment Plant on the Under Ground Pod Network when they need to be emptied. When the time comes for replacement, an empty tank is sent automatically from the Waste Treatment Plant in an Under Ground Pod, and the full tank is sent back in the pod to the plant for treatment. Unlike today there is no crumbling network of pipes leaking everywhere and requiring constant maintenance, smelly sewers, and septic tanks buried in gardens requiring to be emptied regularly and replaced after only a few decades. The waste water is treated using bacteria only and no chemicals or heating is required. Treated waste water and solids are then dispersed in nature and are not used in agriculture.