Implementing sustainable sanitation concepts in Luxembourg: methodological approach and outcomes

The present paper reports the approaches adopted to involve and inform stakeholders at various levels and to identify barriers and needed actions towards the implementation of sustainable sanitation concepts in Luxembourg. The study was split into two phases, starting with a workshop and interviews of important actors/professionals of the water sector such as public administrations, engineering companies and sanitary firms. The second phase consisted of a survey among end-users, developed in order to analyse enabling and disabling factors with respect to sustainable water use in households, and for which over 200 questionnaires were evaluated. Valuable conclusions for the project orientation were derived from these studies in terms of further needs for awareness raising, information and formation. The water professionals pointed to specific questions with respect to the feasibility of sustainable sanitation, such as hygienic concerns or maintenance issues for decentralised technology. A moderate financial commitment towards environmentally friendly techniques as well as a considerable lack of knowledge concerning innovative sanitation concepts was detected for end-users. Based on these findings, tailor-made communication strategies for key stakeholder groups were elaborated and pilot projects were initiated.