“Don’t Flush Your Wipes!” — Bettembourg Wastewater Plant Warns of Costly Damage from Improper Waste

The Bettembourg Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) — one of Luxembourg’s largest — is urging residents to stop flushing wipes and other inappropriate waste down their toilets, warning that such habits are causing serious damage and expensive repairs.

“Don’t throw your ‘biodegradable’ wipes down the toilet anymore,” cautions Michel Zangerlé, the plant’s deputy director. “The term ‘biodegradable’ is misleading — these wipes can take years to decompose. They clog our systems and lead to costly maintenance work.”

Currently, the Bettembourg WWTP treats wastewater for about 95,000 population equivalents, serving municipalities such as Bettembourg, Dudelange, Kayl, Roeser, and Rumelange, along with several cross-border French towns.

€200 Million Modernisation Project
The plant is preparing for a major expansion and modernisation beginning at the end of 2027, a project estimated at €200 million. The cost will be shared equally between the Luxembourg State and local municipalities. Once completed, the facility will nearly double its treatment capacity.

A key element of the upgrade will be the introduction of a fourth purification stage designed to remove micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, hormones, and microplastics, helping Luxembourg meet rising environmental standards.

Commissioned in 1979 and first modernised between 2005 and 2009, Bettembourg’s WWTP is also the only plant in the country equipped with a greenhouse for sludge drying. Around 800 tons of dried sludge are produced each year and later reused as a substitute fuel in cement factories, including Cimalux.

How the Treatment Works
Wastewater purification at Bettembourg happens in multiple stages. It starts with mechanical treatment — screening, de-oiling, and grit removal — which eliminates large debris and reduces pollution by roughly 30%. This is followed by primary settling, where heavier materials sink to form sludge. Then, chemical and biological treatments remove organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Finally, the sludge treatment process recovers residues from the system, turning waste into a resource.

As the plant prepares for one of the country’s most significant environmental infrastructure projects, its message to the public remains simple but urgent:
“Think before you flush — your wipes aren’t as harmless as they look.”
Read More : Luxembourg: La STEP de Bettembourg alerte sur les lingettes dans les toilettes - L'essentiel

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