A closer look at “UK Water Firms Earn £340M from Trade Effluent as Pollutants Slip Through Sewage Works”, exactly as the source publishes it. UK water companies generated over £340 million last year by accepting industrial and commercial wastewater at treatment plants that lack the technology to remove many chemical pollutants, an exclusive investigation reveals. The practice, governed by trade-effluent consents, allows billions of litres of wastewater from businesses to enter sewage works, but experts warn these facilities were not designed to strip out complex chemicals, leading to contamination of rivers, seas, and farmland. The revenue stems from legal permits that water firms issue to industrial and commercial operators, enabling them to discharge wastewater into the public sewer system.
While companies can refuse applications, the financial incentive to accept such waste is substantial. However, the environmental cost is mounting: many of the chemicals pass through treatment processes unchanged, posing risks to ecosystems and potentially human health. For the complete material, the listing points back to the source inside the network.