We are always on the look out for new and greener plastics and these PLA bottles caught our eye. Personally I think bottled water is a scam. Why pay good money for that you can get for free? But if you should choose to go down that route, it seems a shame that such a decision should also result in a landfill site of non-biodegradable, plastic bottles.
There are of course compostable, biodegradable plastics – one such is PLA. But for years PLA was not considered up to the job of beverage bottle. You can read more about PLA plastic here.
The following would seem to disprove that theory….
From the website… Eco for life bottles are made from Polylactic acid, PLA for short.
During the production process, we produce 60% less greenhouse gases and use 50% less fossil fuels.
| Will bio-degrade | ✘ No, takes up to 1000 years | Yes, in an industrial composter |
| Made from | ✘ Oil | Annually renewable plants |
| Leaches harmful chemicals into water | ✘ Yes | No |
| Can be recycled | ✘ Yes, but down-cycled and always ends up in landfill | Yes, and can be re-cycled into a whole new bottle, never ending in landfill |
| Releases harmful toxins when incinerated | ✘ Yes | No |
| Greenhouse gases savings during production | ✘– | Approx. 60% |
| Oil saved | ✘– | Approx. 1 litre for every 24 bottles |
N.B. I still don’t know if the screw top lids are PLA plastic.
Composting PLA Plastic
Back to me…. While most agree that PLA plastic is indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage.
I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
Moreover I have been composting my PLA plastic for years.
We have used and composted the following PLA plastic products ( including Biobags , Deli pots and disposable Cutlery )
Useful stuff to know
Remember, not all bio- plastics can be composted and some are not as green as they sound
See all PLA related posts here
Refillable Bottles
But why create any waste at all if you can avoid it? Get yourself a refillable bottle, use the tap, save money all round. Find bottles, refill places and other water related information here….