A new biodegradable paper bottle could end the use of plastic bottles as packaging.
The GreenBottle is 90.7 per cent made from recycled paper, which is usually ex-office waste and its carbon footprint is 48 per cent lower than the commonly-used plastic HDPE equivalent.
Currently being sold as milk bottle packaging in ASDA stores in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as well as Co-op Framlingham, the bottles have been more attractive to recycling-friendly customers.
GreenBottle chief executive Simon King said: “The popularity of the bottle has been particularly among young people who are keen recyclers. We have had phone calls from mums saying that their children won’t drink the milk if it doesn’t come in our bottles.”
The bottle is made flat, while an LDPE bag is fixed inside to hold the milk. The two sides are then sealed together with biodegradable glue to create the bottle.
King added: “We are looking at alternatives to make the inner bag from bioplastic or cornstarch but LDPE is currently the customer’s preferred material to hold food products at the moment.
However there are problems with the other options such as moral issues concerning corn starch and bioplastics do not seem to be of a food grade quality yet.
“Using the paper bottles in this way means that it a closed-loop process because they can be recycled again and again. Additionally, the milk tastes as normal and the bottles can go down the existing filling lines at the factories.”
It is hoped the bottles will be rolled out to many more stores over the next year as the production rate increases.
Founder and inventor Martin Myerscough, decided a solution to the plastic bottle needed to be created after a conversation with a local landfill manager spoke of his frustration at not being able to easily recycle plastic milk bottles.
