Environment Minister Miriam Dalli on Monday launched a €1 million water purification system scheme called "Be Water Smart" to encourage Maltese households to adopt water purification systems and reduce single-use plastics.

In an attempt to reduce the average amount of plastic bottles used, estimated to stand at around 500 bottles per household per year, the scheme offers three types of grants, each targeting different water filtration and reverse osmosis systems.

The first grant, "Be Water Smart: Water Guard," covers water filtration systems with no wastewater. The grant rate is 40% of the purchase price and installation cost, with a maximum of €100.

The second grant, "Be Water Smart: RO Wave," is for reverse osmosis systems without wastewater return, offering a 15.25% grant rate with a cap of €100.

The third grant, "Be Water Smart: RO Recycle," is for reverse osmosis systems that return wastewater to residential water storage, with a grant rate of 40% and a €300 cap.

These amounts represent an increase from the previous grant, which provided 15.25% on the purchase price and installation, capped at €70.

Dalli said that “households want to live more sustainably and appreciate the importance of water conservation.”

Dalli added that the schemes accommodate all systems available on the market, including both water filtration and reverse osmosis systems.

“The initiative is expected to reduce approximately 3 million plastic bottles per year, contributing to Malta's single-use plastic strategy, waste management plan, and waste reduction efforts,” Dalli said.

“The reduction in single-use plastic waste will also lead to a decrease in the carbon footprint generated through the production and transportation of plastic bottles and other single-use plastic items,” Dalli said.

“All these benefits go towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or SDG’s,” Dalli said, which are goals adopted by the UN as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

“These present measures help achieve SD goal 1 ending poverty, goal 6 providing access to clean water, goal 13 fighting climate change, and goal 14 dealing with the sustainable use of maritime resources.”

“I can’t talk about the sustainable use of water without mentioning the hard work achieved by the Water Services Corporation, which is engaged in processes to increase the quality of the drinking water,” Dalli said.

“For instance, there’s a new water purification plant in Hondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo, worth €11 million, and a tunnel between Pembroke and ta’ Qali worth around €36 million which will, at the end of the year, be able to deliver 52,000 metres cubed of water every day between these two localities,” Dalli said.

“I believe that the schemes unveiled today are a stepping stone towards increased efficiency and in favour of cleaner environment,” Dalli concluded.

For more information on the new schemes, visit servizz.gov.mt or call 153.