Is recycling only part of the solution?
Every year in the U.S., approximately 29.8 billion plastic water bottles are purchased, and 80% of these bottles are disposed of in a landfill. The consumption of plastic in general has reached an all-time high in America, and about 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown out every hour.
Because of the rate at which consumers are using and disposing of this product, there is a need for a more eco-friendly solution. Although high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles have high recycling rates, the future of plastic bottles might not simply involve recycling and reuse.
ENSO Bottles
In light of the need to find an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bottles, ENSO Bottles created a biodegradable PET plastic bottle. ENSO Bottles degrade within one to five years, and they appear identical to the degradable-resistant PET bottles. Another advantage to this environmentally friendly model is that it can be recycled along with PET bottles. All of these characteristics make ENSO Bottles a worthwhile alternative, and they would make for a convenient transition.
Speaking of transition, colleges and universities are helping to reduce the consumption of beverage bottles at a rapid pace by banning them on campus. Nashville’s Belmont University, the University of Winnipeg and others have been proactive in outlawing this plastic product. In addition, Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, and Washington University in St. Louis have been promoting the use of tap water and reusable bottles.
Or, maybe plastic bottles will become a lost artifact after humanity leaves this planet and continues its wasteful lifestyle on another world. One question alien cultures might have is why our society would have uses these vessels for drinking water when our homes, offices and other buildings were built with pipes that carried H2O. Outsiders looking in might be puzzled by our obsession with plastic bottles, especially after calculating the wasteful manufacturing process associated with this product.
The future of plastic bottles is looking green, but until our society is pushed toward biodegradable alternatives and existing reusable bottles, the transition will be gradual.
PlasticGuy
March 21st, 2011
I would like to comment that the notion of this article hits the bulls eye! There is a MAJOR need to look to an Eco friendly alternative to regular plastic bottles. We must look further than just recycling and reuse, because even recycled plastic can only be utilized 1-3 times before it is too thrashed and will be thrown into a landfill. Having plastics biodegradable the way ENSO does it is the best answer I have seen yet.
There are some information errors to clear up however. Aquamantra is a bottle brand utilizing the ENSO bottle for their packaging. Aquamantra did not create the ENSO bottle, but is a strong proponent of using packaging that is the best solution for our environment. Also our recycling rates in the US are very poor in my opinion, and we could do much better. The latest rates are 28% for PET bottles, the most recycled plastic of all. All plastic is recycled at a rate of 5% annually, and ends up in a landfill. Wouldn’t it be great if all of this plastic went away because it was biodegradable? Also, landfills are creating the cleanest green energy (more than solar and wind) from taking the bio-gasses from biodegraded materials and converting it into energy.
We just need to rethink the way we look at plastics!