To centralise or to decentralise: An overview of the most recent trends in wastewater treatment management

An overview of recent trends in wastewater management is proposed concerning the role of centralisation and decentralisation in wastewater treatment. The main advantages, criticisms and limitations considering social, economic and environmental issues have been summarised. It resulted that none of the approaches could be excluded a priori, but were generally shown to integrate one another on the basis of the specific required situation.

► We provide the state-of-the-art about decentralisation in wastewater management.
► We examine economic, social and environmental hints.
► The clue is the coexistence of various levels of centralisation and decentralisation.
► We conclude that none of the approaches can be excluded a priori.