Cesspits may truly become a thing of the past after the Water Services Corporation yesterday launched a new micro plant that can treat 45 cubic metres of waste a day.

The 20-foot sewage treatment container was built in collaboration with German company ITN Nanovation and the first plant was expected to be up and running in Bidnija by the end of the year, WSC chief executive Mark Muscat said.

A pilot project to build the Highly Integrated Sewage Treatment Plant was launched in 2008 when a treatment container was set up at the Sant'Antnin waste recycling plant in Marsascala. Mr Muscat said this form of waste treatment was ideal for hotels or small remote areas such as Bidnija and Baħrija.

At the moment, sewage in such areas is collected in cesspits that have to be emptied frequently. The new technology would allow sewage to be filtered through the micro plant that would separate the sludge from the water.

The sludge would then be collected once every two months and treated. The water could be used for irrigation but would have to undergo further filtering to be suitable for drinking, Mr Muscat said.

"Apart from offering the availability of recycling water, it is also a good move for the environment," he said.

Mr Muscat added that WSC and the German company were having talks on the possibility of building the product for export. It was estimated that a 20-foot container would sell for about €100,000.

The invention echoes that of engineer Marco Cremona and his Hoter project, which recycles 80 per cent of waste water.

He developed this project in coordination with the management of the Radisson SAS Hotel. The water produced is reused for flushing water cisterns and for irrigation of the gardens within the resort.