It’s no secret that plastic bottles are a major environmental hazard, and while they can be relatively easily recycled, it still would be better if we used less of them. There are already better alternatives, such as glass or metal reusable bottles, but because we are creatures of convenience, we are still craving disposable options. The company Paper Water Bottle offers such an alternative, in the form of, unsurprisingly, a paper water bottle!

Globally, 80 billion plastic bottles are produced annually, of which 80 per cent end up in oceans and landfills. These bottles slowly fall apart, forming micro-plastics, which are often mistaken for food by animals, eventually ending up on our plate.

The Paper Water Bottle is made from a biodegradable pulp mixture of wheat straw, bamboo, husks, sugar cane, and/or bulrush. The shape is completely customisable.

Unfortunately, the bottle is not biodegradable in its entirety; a barrier inside is made from recycled resin. However, the two materials can be separated easily so the outside can decompose, while the inside is recycled. The aim is to use less and less resin in the future, with the next generation of bottles using 40-60 per cent less resin than a standard plastic bottle and the one after that 99 per cent less. The ultimate achievement for Paper Water Bottle is to be “backyard compostable”.

The Paper Water Bottle is currently available in 500 ml size (17 oz), and later, other sizes of 70, 250, 750, 1000 and 2000 ml will be added. The material can be printed using soy and other eco-friendly inks.

For other biodegradable water bottle alternatives, click here and here.

Photos: Paper Water Bottle