Resolving the dilemma of wastewater treatment plants: An empirical study on public acceptance for publicly accessible WWTPs

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an indispensable role in the process of urbanization and sustainable development, while their construction often faces challenges due to diverse public opinions. Therefore, strategies to improve public acceptance of WWTPs are essential for their implementation and the planning of wastewater system. To resolve this dilemma, publicly accessible WWTPs designed in conjunction with public spaces have emerged globally. In order to validate its effectiveness, this research investigated the public acceptance of publicly accessible WWTPs and the determinants of public acceptance in China, where an online questionnaire survey was launched with 3000 responses and hypothesis testing was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicated that compared to conventional WWTPs, publicly accessible WWTPs were much more preferred by the majority of respondents (92.3%). Moreover, this study revealed that factors including perceived benefit, perceived risk, and public spaces directly impact public acceptance, while trust and perceived fairness indirectly influence it. What's more, this research highlighted and validated the significant role of public spaces in enhancing public acceptance of WWTPs, and enriched the understanding of how multiple factors influence public acceptance, providing practical implications for the site selection, design and management of publicly accessible WWTPs.