Athens, 17 October 2025 – A new water conservation and reuse project has been successfully completed in Schimatari, as part of the Zero Drop program, imple
mented by GWP-Med in collaboration with the Municipality of Tanagra, and supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation, Coca-Cola Hellas and Coca-Cola HBC.
Georgios Dassiotis, Deputy Regional Governor of Boeotia; Michael Skoullos, President of GWP-Med; Svetoslav Atanasov, General Director of Coca-Cola HBC for Greece & Cyprus; Stavros Papastavrou, Minister of Environment and Energy; Vasilis Pergalias, Mayor of Tanagra; Stavros Mourelatos, General Director of The Coca-Cola Hellas, responsible for Greece, Cyprus, and Malta (from left to right).
The project was officially inaugurated in the Municipality of Tanagra at a special ceremony attended by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Stavros Papastavrou; the Deputy Regional Governor of Viotia, Mr. Georgios Dassiotis; the Mayor of Tanagra, Mr. Vasilis Pergalias; the General Director of Coca-Cola Hellas, Mr. Stavros Mourelatos’ the General Director of Coca-Cola HBC, Mr. Svetoslav Atanasov; and Chair of GWP-Med, Prof. Michael Skoullos.
The initiative upgraded the Schimatari Rapid Water Treatment Plant, the municipality’s largest water treatment unit. It included the installation of an innovative system for recirculating and reusing filter backwash water. This intervention delivers multiple benefits to residents, employees, and the local community by saving a daily amount of 1.300.000 million litres of water, which were previously discarded. The interventions was designed and coordinated by the GWP-Med Technical Solutions team, led by Senior Programme Officer Dr. Nikos Skondras.
With Greece facing increasing water scarcity due to prolonged drought and higher demands on the Mornos water supply system, the technical intervention at Schimatari achieves:
- Water savings through reuse of filter backwash water, equivalent to 15% of total raw water intake of the treatment plant.
- Full recovery of water previously lost during filter backwashing.
- Energy consumption reduction of 7–10%.
- Annual water savings sufficient to meet the needs of approximately 6,500 people (based on average daily consumption of 170 liters per person).
- Ensured drinking water quality.
- Strengthened water security for the Municipality of Tanagra.
The Schimatari project was implemented in close cooperation with the Technical Services Department of the Municipality of Tanagra. Previously, water from filter cleaning processes was discharged into the sewer system. Thanks to the new treatment system, this water is now collected, treated, and redirected back into the main supply, eliminating losses entirely.
