Half of the plastic in the world is consumed only once and then discarded. What are the alternatives? How about seaweed bottles?
Unsurprisingly, plastic bottles are an important source of garbage on the planet. More than 80% of the plastic bottles used in the EU are turned into waste in landfills and can not be incinerated as combustion causes the formation of toxic by-products such as chlorine.
When he learned that half of the plastic in the world is consumed only once, then discarded, Icelandic design student Ari Jónsson decided to do something about it. It does not make sense to use a material that takes hundreds of years to decompose.
That’s where the “seaweed bottle” came from. Mixture of agar and water, the bottle is heated, shaped and then cooled already in its final format. It is flexible and can even be ingested without any problems. Still in the prototype stage, the bottle needs to be improved for its strength.
This is not the first bottle attempt made with algae: two years ago it was created by a group of Spanish designers, Ooho, in the shape of a gelatinous bubble. To drink the water, simply stick the bubble membrane that was inspired by the spherification technique of Molecular Gastronomy.
These are low-cost environmentally friendly alternatives. Even if it is not an immediate solution, this is the path to the sustainable future we are looking for.
Originally posted in my magazine column i9 magazine on 5/2/2016 and updated on 10/25/2017.
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