With the 1,000th customer having acquired a TAPP Water filter, the local company TAPP Water (Malta) Ltd has removed 700,000 plastic bottles used for drinking water from the local ecosystem and achieved 10% of its mission.

“In less than 10 months since we started our mission – during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic – we have made an excellent start and are on track to eliminating the use of 10 million plastic bottles used from drinking water every year by 2024,” company CEO Phil Richards said.

Every household in Malta and Gozo that uses a TAPP Water Filter avoids at least 700 plastic bottles per year, emits 156 kg less of CO₂ and saves €312. TAPP Water Malta is part of the global TAPP Water movement that is on a mission to avoid 10 billion bottles of plastic waste by 2023 with 10 million households globally.

The 1,000th TAPP Water filter was installed in Hamrun and will be put to good use by a family of three. TAPP Water filters have now been installed across Malta and Gozo, with a high level of customer satisfaction.

Speaking at the Malta Sustainability Forum earlier this year, Mr Richards pointed out that less than 20% of plastic bottles are recycled. “It takes two litres of water to make a plastic bottle holding 2 litres of water, which does not exactly feel sustainable. The water in a 2-litre bottle costs just 0.003c and it’s sold for 50c. That’s 185 times more, which is like buying a loaf of bread for €180.00. You just wouldn’t do it. We know the bottled water companies don’t sell water. They sell plastic,” he said.

The filters offered by TAPP Water, TAPP 2 Twist, are the only sustainable water filters available in Malta since the filter refill casings are used repeatedly, eventually being recycled, and the filter refills are mostly composed of organic material that is biodegradable.

TAPP 2 Twist is more convenient than plastic bottles since water is always available from the kitchen mixer, it is 90% cheaper than plastic bottles and its filtration technology leaves healthy minerals in without wasting any water.