Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - University of Wollongong

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

Teaching, learning and research in numbers

Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.

_{*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026}

8,414 students studying subjects about this goal

25.2% of publications related to this goal had international collaboration*

23.6 citations per publication*

70.4% publications in the Top 10% most cited*

Goal 6 case studies

Designing smart water infrastructure for sustainable communities

Water supply is essential for liveable regional communities, but water systems are highly energy-intensive and costly to operate. In collaboration with Shoalhaven Water, UOW researchers tackled this sustainability challenge by developing intelligent optimisation tools to help regional water utilities reduce energy use and improve reliability of essential water services. 

Led by ARC Future Grids Training Centre Director Distinguished Professor Kashem Muttaqi, the initiative combined artificial intelligence, real-time electricity market data and practical engineering knowledge to support smarter operational decisions in water pumping systems. 

Using a web-based scheduling platform and coordinated control framework, the project helped operators better align energy-intensive processes with system needs and electricity market conditions. The work demonstrates how applied research can help regional utilities reduce operational pressure, improve infrastructure efficiency and build more sustainable water services for the future. 

This initiative is working towards:

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

See how UOW is contributing to more efficient and resilient energy systems
UOW research reveals recycling process creates harmful microplastics

Environmental engineers from UOW have discovered an unintended consequence of plastic recycling, with evidence that mechanical recycling can produce microplastic particles that enter soil and water systems.

The study, conducted by Professor Faisal Hai, Head of the School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and then UOW PhD candidate, now graduate, , identified key stages in recycling where microplastic release is highest, providing crucial insights into contamination pathways. The research employed advanced analytical techniques to track microplastic generation throughout different recycling processes, revealing that certain types of plastic processing create substantially more environmental contamination than others.

The findings call for improved technologies and stricter regulations, prompting local governments and industry partners to re-evaluate recycling practices and increase investment in clean technologies. The research has contributed to broader discussions on sustainable waste management and circular economy principles, influencing both public awareness and legislative frameworks.

This initiative is supporting:

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

RELEASE: Microplastics created during recycling
Humanure as a resource: The Pootopia! project

Following its launch in 2023, continued to challenge conventional views on human waste by treating human excrement (humanure) as a valuable resource rather than a problem. Supported by , the multidisciplinary team included artists (Associate Professor Lucas Ihlein and Dr Kim Williams), economists (Associate Professor Amir Arjomandi and Associate Professor Alfredo Paloyo), engineers (Professor Faisal Hai) and microbiologists (Professor Martina Sanderson-Smith).

The team expanded their research and public engagement through pilot composting toilet installations at events and locations such as the Yours and Owls music festival and the Wollongong Botanic Gardens. These installations successfully engaged hundreds of participants, generating important data on system performance, public attitudes, and the feasibility of scaling humanure composting in real-world settings.

The project’s collaborative approach, involving partnerships with the permaculture community, festival organisers and the waste management sector, fostered public discussion about sustainable sanitation, regenerative agriculture and circular resource cycles. In 2024, Pootopia! focused on investigating long-term infrastructure potential, policy implications, and strategies for behavioural change, aiming to influence public health outcomes and equitable access to sanitation.

By integrating research, community trials and education, Pootopia! demonstrated how rethinking human waste can support cleaner environments, strengthen community resilience to climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.

This initiative is supporting:

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Discover the science, art and economics of human manure

Bottled water creates large amounts of waste, with plastic bottles among the ten most common rubbish items picked up on Cleanup Australia Day. Australia recycles only 36% of PET plastic drink bottles. Around 373 million plastic water bottles end up as waste each year. At UOW campuses, water drinking fountains and/or bottle refill locations are available to all, across buildings and at numerous outdoor locations.

The Water Management Action Plan has been developed to reduce potable water use, maximise rainwater capture capacity and water reuse and recycling opportunities, comply with NSW water quality standard, and improve awareness and education the UOW campus community about water conservation and water pollution and water quality issues. UOW also implemented measures to track the total volume of water used in the university, a process in place to treat wastewater, minimise water usage and maximise water reuse including sustainable rainwater extraction and storage on campus.

Fact sheets

See how UOW reduces water use

Latest news for Goal 6

Community, Research

3 November 2025

Sustainability report shows real-world impact on climate, equity and education

From Antarctica to India, UOW research and partnerships are driving global progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Science and Technology

17 July 2025

Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time?

Bringing water to a boil disinfects it, but you may have heard that boiling it more than once somehow makes the water harmful

Community, Research

18 June 2025

UOW recognised among world’s top universities for sustainability impact

UOW's sustainability efforts recognised as it rises to 31st place globally and 7th in Australia in times higher education impact rankings 2025

More news for Goal 6

Explore UOW's impact and commitment to each of the SDGs

No Poverty

Zero Hunger

Good Health and Well-Being

Quality Education

Gender Equality

Clean Water and Sanitation

Affordable and Clean Energy

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Reduced Inequalities

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Responsible Consumption and Production

Climate Action

Life Below Water

Life on Land

Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Partnerships for the Goals

Contact us

Share your story with us and help shape UOW’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.

sdgs-uow@uow.edu.au

Submit your initiative