People need to be 'less squeamish' about drinking water taken from sewage treatment plants, the head of the Environment Agency has said. Water companies are planning "toilet-to-tap" systems, also known as water recycling, to turn sewage from lavatories into drinking water by treating it. By 2030, toilet water could be deposited into rivers near treatment plants so it can be collected and processed as drinking water. Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir James Bevan said the "unpopular" move would help protect the UK's water supply.