Sewage could be valuable

Sewage could be the new gold as water scarcity pushes up the value of recycled effluent water and fertiliser, a legal academic says.

Janice Gray, a senior law lecturer from the University of New South Wales, said the property rights to sewage could become the legal battle of the future. Entrepreneurs were already vying for access to sewerage infrastructure, she said.

"What was once a burden may, in fact, come to be seen as a valuable resource. Who knows, wastewater might end up being the new gold."