Onsite wastewater management systems have two main processes – treatment of wastewater to a certain standard, and application of the effluent (treated wastewater) to a land area on your property.
The most common types of onsite wastewater treatment systems are:
- septic tanks
- aerated wastewater treatment systems (AWTS)
- biological filter systems
- composting toilets (dry and wet)
Wastewater can be treated to three standards:
- Primary – minimal treatment involving flotation and settlement to separate solids and liquids, and disposal of the clarified but still contaminated effluent (such as septic tanks and composting toilets).
- Secondary – more advanced treatment using air and biological processes to decompose the solids and chlorine to disinfect the liquid to a standard safe for irrigation (such as aerated wastewater treatment systems).
- Tertiary – highly advanced systems that use air and biological processes as well as membranes and UV disinfection to treat wastewater to a very high standard (such as membrane filtration and advanced aerated wastewater treatment systems).
(credit source https://www.waternsw.com.au/ )