Considerable economic incentives exist to minimize water use and reduce contaminant discharge through application of improved technology. By considering scouring as a continuous extraction system, rational liquor handling circuits may be designed and appropriate dirt and grease recovery equipment and operating conditions selected. Implementation of the basic recommendations should enable a plant scouring merino wool to operate with about 8.4l/kg (greasy wool) water consumption and with recoveries 50per thousand of the grease and 48per thousand of the dirt entering on the wool. More advanced strategies to increase these recoveries are proposed.