What additional waste considerations should sewage treatment plants account for?

Sewage treatment plants have the responsibility to handle a variety of waste streams to ensure the environmental and public health are protected. The correct answer reflects the comprehensive nature of waste management that these facilities must undertake.

Treatment plants must account for institutional and all industrial wastes because these types of waste can contain harmful substances that require specialized treatment processes. Institutional waste could include materials from schools, hospitals, and other establishments that may not be present in regular household waste. Industrial waste can contain a wide range of pollutants, including heavy metals, chemicals, and other hazardous substances that can severely impact the environment if not managed correctly. By including both institutional and all industrial wastes, sewage treatment plants can remain compliant with regulations and effectively protect the water supply and surrounding ecosystems.

In consideration of the other options, focusing only on household waste would overlook significant sources of pollution that can arise from industrial processes. Limiting attention to household and some industrial waste would similarly neglect many potentially harmful pollutants that require specialized treatments. Non-organic waste alone does not capture the entirety of the waste streams that sewage treatment plants need to process, as organic waste is a primary component of sewage and deserves equal attention in terms of treatment and management.