World's First 100% Biodegradable, Recyclable, Compostable, Non-PLA Bottle
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Sustainability Aquamantra Premium Bottled Water GoodPac Plastics
Despite the convenience, the bottled water industry has come under fire because of the toxic havoc the empties have on landfills, where it has been said that the average water bottle can take over 500 years to decompose.
On July 12, 2009, Last week, Aquamantra Premium Bottled Water based in Dana Point, CA introduced the world’s first 100 per cent biodegradable, recyclable, compostable (non-PLA) Plastic Bottle – the Enso biottle – that completely biodegrades into organic material within 250 days.
Developed by GoodPac Plastics, a division of Goodwin Enterprises, Inc. the Enso bottles are FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)-approved PET 1 bottles that are not PLA (made of cornstarch) or oxo-degradable (in need of UV rays to break down).
Even if these bottles end up in microbial landfills, the bottles will break down within 10 months into inert biomass and biogas through either an anaerobic (no oxygen, no light) or aerobic decomposition. The most recent tests conducted by North East Labs in Berlin, CT, show that Enso bottles will biodegrade in a compostable environment in 250 days.
While all PET bottles are organic in nature, the microbes don’t recognize them as food – plastic appears to be the last thing they are looking to eat, which is why it takes so long to break down.
The Enso utilizes an organic additive that sits next to the PET chain and attracts microbial colonization, basically adding an ‘organic seasoning’ to the bottle so the microbes know the bottle is food. For this reason, these bottles maintain the same properties as traditional PET and can be intermingled with standard PET in recycling streams and programs.
Aquamantra’s natural spring water, flows from the abundant source of Mt. Palomar in Southern California and is proud to be a Gold Medal Winner for best tasting water at The Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition.
For more information, visit www.aquamantra.com.
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