Tackling sewage pollution and water scarcity in the UK through Reinvented Toilet Technologies. Launching Monday, 5th October 2026.
What is the Flush Forward Challenge?
The Flush Forward Challenge aims to tackle critical environmental issues—like sewage spills, nutrient pollution, and water scarcity—by exploring how breakthrough sanitation technologies can benefit the UK. Water, wastewater capacity, and nutrient neutrality rules are even limiting much-needed housebuilding.
To solve this, Challenge Works will fund and support ‘problem owners’—organisations contending with sewage pollution and off-grid sanitation—to better understand and test how Reinvented Toilet Technologies (RTTs) can be implemented locally.
By building the case for these innovations in the UK, the challenge serves as a launchpad to scale life-changing sanitation technologies globally.
1 million homes
in the UK are not connected to mains sewers, instead relying on septic tanks that discharge ecologically harmful nutrients into the environment.
386,466 wastewater discharges
occurred into England and Wales waterways in 2025 alone, lasting a cumulative 2.65 million hours.
2.4 billion litres
of clean drinking water are flushed down UK toilets every single day, driving us toward a severe water shortfall by 2055.
The Current Situation
The systems we rely on to manage our waste are rooted in the Victorian era and are struggling to cope with modern demands. Sprawling sewer networks discharge untreated waste directly into rivers during heavy rainfall, while off-grid septic tanks leak excess phosphorus and nitrogen, driving algae blooms that deprive waterways of oxygen. Addressing the interconnected issues of nutrient release, overflowing sewers, and water scarcity is now an urgent environmental imperative.
The Solution: Reinvented Toilet Technologies (RTTs)
Building on the Gates Foundation’s 2011 Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, RTTs are advanced, non-sewered sanitation systems designed to safely and effectively manage human waste. These technologies hold life-changing potential for the 3.4 billion people worldwide who lack access to safe sanitation.
These breakthrough systems:
Operate “off the grid” without connections to water or sewers and require minimal electricity.
Recover valuable resources such as energy, clean water, and nutrients while removing harmful pathogens.
Meet rigorous international standards (ISO 30500), guaranteeing safe, pathogen-free outputs.
Are low-cost to run, promoting sustainable sanitation services and local businesses.
Who’s involved in the challenge?
The Flush Forward Challenge is delivered by Challenge Works.
The Flush Forward Challenge is funded by the Gates Foundation.
Additional partners:
Bluechain Consulting: A UK-based consultancy specialising in development finance and sustainable investment for the water, climate, and environment sectors.
Cranfield University: Academic leaders researching circular sanitation systems, off-grid treatment capabilities, and low-cost, green-technology solutions.
