Exploring rural school students’ perceptions, willingness, motivations, and concerns regarding greywater treatment and reuse in southern Peru

Water scarcity affects water availability in Peruvian rural schools without piped systems, yet the perspectives of rural students on school greywater treatment and reuse are mainly unexplored. This study explores students’ perceptions, willingness, and concerns from three rural schools in Pichihua, Socco, and Yanaca (Apurimac Region, Peru) regarding greywater treatment and reuse. Using semi-structured questionnaires answered by 167 secondary students, the study found frequent water shortages (57% weekly) affecting hygiene and sanitation. There was high acceptance for greywater treatment systems (88%), significantly influenced by age and gender (p < 0.05). Students supported reusing treated greywater for handwashing (86%), cleaning (73.2%), garden watering (69%), and toilet flushing (65%). Over half were willing to use treated water for handwashing if it was pathogen-free (51.6%) and high quality (47.7%). Main concerns involved health risks (36%) and water appearance (28%). Recommendations included training on greywater treatment (40%) and regular quality assessments (35%) to mitigate concerns. This study shows that implementing a greywater treatment system is socially feasible for addressing water shortages in rural schools. The findings can help water technology developers create strategies to enhance benefits and reduce risks of reusing treated greywater while supporting policy development for water reuse in rural communities.