Environmentally harmful, plastic milk bottles could soon disappear from supermarket shelves with the imminent rollout of a newly designed sustainable substitute.

The Greenbottle, made from moulded, recycled paper and filled from local dairy, Marybelle ñ goes on sale in ASDA stores later this month. The two litre Greenbottle, which is priced identically to the two litre plastic bottles, provides a truly mainstream alternative.

Of the 9 billion plastic milk bottles discarded each year, fewer than 7 per cent are currently recycled. This means that over 100,000 tonnes of plastic ñ more than 8 billion bottles ñ are sent to landfill each year, enough to fill 260 jumbo jets! Recycling just one container saves enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for six hours.

Greenbottle designer and chief executive Martin Myerscough, says: ‘It’s always bothered me that consumers have to buy milk in plastic containers that are difficult to recycle. Our design ensures that the packaging protects the milk but can easily be recycled, easing the pressure on landfill space and resulting in fewer emissions.’

Suffolk-based Greenbottle Ltd designed the revolutionary bottles using egg carton technology with an outer case moulded from old bank statements. A loose liner made from recycled plastic prevents the milk from contaminating the cardboard and reduces air flow at the dispensing stage. ‘If successful,’ says Martin, ‘we’ll even use unwanted paper packaging from other products to make our bottle. Plastic ones really could become a thing of the past.’

In addition to being considerably lighter to transport than plastic or glass, Greenbottles can easily be recycled. Once empty, the liner can be removed from the bottle and disposed of, while the outer can be recycled with other paper. Chris Brown from Asda says: ‘Greenbottle delivers a win-win for retailers and consumers alike in our collective effort to reduce the UK’s environmental footprint.’

James Strachan, Executive Director at Marybelle Dairy, says: ‘Locally sourced milk in a recyclable bottle, at an equal price, is bound to have high appeal. It won’t be long before we see nothing but Greenbottles nationwide.’

Winners of the Green Awards 2007
for Best Packaging Design

Contact: Greenbottle Ltd.,
The Technology Centre, Framlingham,
Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 9EZ
Tel: +44 (0)1728 726577
Website: www​.greenbottle​.com
Email: martin@​greenbottle.​com

Martin Myerscough, founder of Greenbottle
Photo: © Greenbottle Ltd