How is residential sewage characterized?

Residential sewage is characterized specifically as typical wastewater from a domestic home. This definition encompasses the various types of waste generated in a household, including human waste from toilets, and wastewater from sinks, showers, and appliances. The composition of residential sewage is primarily organic matter and nutrients, which can include food particles, soap, and household chemicals, that result from everyday activities in a home.

Understanding the nature of residential sewage is essential for septic system design and maintenance, as it helps in predicting how the sewage will behave in the treatment process and what kind of contaminants may need to be managed. The treatment methods and system sizing rely on the constituents of domestic wastewater to ensure effective breakdown and assimilation of these materials in septic systems or other forms of wastewater treatment.