About SWITCH2O

An innovative, decentralized, and fully circular water treatment system in the Noorderhoek neighborhood of Sneek—this is the objective of LIFE SWITCH2O, a project under the European LIFE program.
The project encompasses 207 residential units (145 houses and 62 apartments). SWITCH2O began in 2025 and will run until 2030.

What does SWITCH2O aim to achieve?

The project focuses on several goals, including:

  • Reducing the consumption of clean drinking water.
  • Producing drinking-quality water from wastewater.
  • Maximizing the recovery of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
  • Saving energy and generating renewable energy.

How does it work?

To achieve these goals, SWITCH2O aims to demonstrate a unique combination of purification technologies, including thermophilic digestion, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis reversal, and UV treatment.

These techniques enable the recovery of nutrients and the production of water that meets drinking water standards. This water and the recovered substances can then be safely reused in various economically viable applications.

If successful, this approach could be scaled up to other districts in the Netherlands and across Europe. In doing so, SWITCH2O lays the foundation for a breakthrough in the circular economy, in line with the 2050 climate goals for the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.

Furthermore, SWITCH2O aligns with the objectives of the European Circular Economy Action Plan and makes a valuable contribution to the implementation of the European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

Achtergrondafbeelding met waterdruppels

Towards a circular water system: how it began

In 2006, the ‘New Sanitation Lemmerweg’ project was launched. A proof-of-concept trial for circular wastewater treatment at the neighborhood level was conducted in Sneek, involving 32 homes.

Four years later, the concept was scaled up in the Noorderhoek district through a pilot project called ‘Waterschoon’ (Clean Water), which included 207 homes.

This pilot utilized innovative technologies, such as water-saving vacuum toilets, the separate collection of wastewater, and a small-scale digester. These systems enabled the recovery of resources including biogas and nutrients, such as struvite.

The results demonstrated that decentralized wastewater treatment at the neighborhood level is technically feasible.

The LIFE SWITCH2O project is now taking the next step: developing and demonstrating a fully circular water system that maximizes the reuse of water, energy, and nutrients. As such, the project serves as a significant model for sustainable residential areas across Europe.