A small-scale pilot plant consisting of a three-stage RBC has been investigated for the removal of E. coli, COD fractions and ammonia from the effluent of an UASB reactor treating domestic wastewater. The results obtained reveal that a three-stage system operated at a HRT of 3.0 h represents an effective posttreatment process. The remaining COD in the final effluent was only 51 (+/- 7) mgl(-1). Ammonia concentration was reduced by 67 (+/- 7.6) %. The overall E. coli reduction was 1.39 log10 at an influent count of 6.5 log10 corresponding to an overall removal efficiency of 95.8 (+/- 4.7) %. However, according to prevailing standards, residual E. coli counts are still high for unrestricted reuse for irrigation purposes. When the system was operated at a HRT of 10 h, overall E. coli removal and ammonia reduction were 99.9 (+/- 0.05)% and 92 (+/- 6.5) % respectively. At a HRT of 10 h, recirculation of the 3rd stage effluent to the 1st stage reduced the residual of E. coli in the final effluent from 2 x 10(3) to 9.8 x 10(2)/100ml. Moreover, the recirculation of nitrified effluent from the 3rd stage to the 1st stage increased ammonia removal in the stage 1 from 23 to 43%. This relatively high ammonia removal likely can be attributed to the supply of nitrifiers from 3rd stage to the 1st one.