Another Federal MP - recycle the water but not for drinking

Federal MP Malcolm Turnbull was interviewed recently by the ABC. A fan of recycling, he doesn't believe it is necessary for it to be used for drinking purposes:

"BARRIE CASSIDY: OK, water recycling is a passion of yours but a survey of 600 people has been released which suggests Sydneysiders won't drink it. Sixty-eight per cent uncomfortable with the idea?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, you can frame the question in all sorts of ways to get the answer you seek, of course. But let me just say this question of drinking recycled water in Sydney is a furphy. It's a non-issue, because there is no need to put that recycled water back into the drinking water system. There are plenty of non-potable, non-drinking uses for it, not least of which is restoring the environmental flows in our rivers. Israel is a good example. They recycle 70 per cent of their waste water and drink none of it and have no need to drink any of it. Can you treat recycled water to make it fit for drinking? Of course you can. Absolutely, and in many parts of the world that is done. Do we need to do it in Sydney? No, we do not."

Extract from Insiders TV program transcript

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 24/07/2005

See: http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2005/s1421021.htm