Like minded individuals came together with the common goal to helping solve the plastic pollution issue and as a result we created ENSO Bottles.   Our mission and goal is to solve the plastic pollution issue specifically as a result of bottles.  If you have ever noticed we each use A LOT of bottles during our day to day living; shampoo, cosmetics, soap, hand sanitizer, water, soda, juice, milk, cleaning supplies, and the list goes on.  After several years of R&D we brought to market a solution that allows bottles to naturally biodegrade, especially when they end up in the most common place, a landfill.  Our bottles are also fully recyclable and can comingle with the existing recycle streams.

A common question that I get asked is if we have recycling and everything is “potentially” recyclable, what do we need biodegradable bottle for?  This is a very good question, and the answer is that we need both!  Recycling is a GREAT solution and provides a means for using less fossil fuels, especially with close-loop recycling.  This is where bottles that were used for such products as water and soda go back into making more water and soda bottles.  This keeps the carbon in the loop and minimizes the need to use virgin plastic material.  For open-loop recycling such as what we mostly have today, bottles used for water and soda go into making products that can’t or aren’t recycled again.  This process is also called down-cycling and those products mostly end up disposed of in landfills.  The recycle rate in the United States is quoted at roughly 26% although this rate does NOT include the billions of recyclable bottles that are used for shampoo, soap, hand sanitizer, etc; PET recycling is really focused on specific water and soda bottles (see animation).  If you were to include all possible PET bottles that “could” be recycled the recycle rate in the US would be closer to 5%.

A report was recently published stating that recycling only begins to have a positive environmental impact once rates of 50% or higher is achieved.  So why is it a better environmental solution to have both biodegradable and recyclable?  It is going to take us decades to get recycle rates up to the 80 – 90% range, until then are we ok with continuing to contribute to the MASSIVE global plastic pollution problem or do we start to do something today that will fit in with the existing goal of recycling, prevent the problem from getting bigger and provide some positive benefits along the way.  ENSO Bottles is a solution we have available to us today, many brands are using the bottles which can be found in thousands of retail locations.  The bottles fully integrate into the existing recycling infrastructure and for those BILLIONS of bottles that end up in landfills, the will naturally biodegrade in biogas and soil.  And, the biogases can be used, and is being used at hundreds of landfills to create clean energy thus offsetting the need to use additional fossil fuel for electricity.

Note:  In 2005 is it estimated that we purchased over 30 billion water bottles alone.  That same year we recycled 12% with the remaining 25 “B”-illion going into the landfill.  That is the equivalent to 845 bottles per second.  Given an average 16.9oz bottle that would be 24 cubic feet per second or in other words, the room you are probably sitting in would take approx. 72 seconds to fill from floor to ceiling.  So by the time you read this blog and watch the animation you would be swimming in water bottles.  That’s just for water bottles, now imagine including soda, shampoo, soap, juice, cosmetics and all the other dozens of industries using plastic bottles.  It is truly mind boggling.

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1. How do Enso bottle behave in a low temperature marine environment?
2. When Enso bottles eventually fragment in the ocean, do they attract POPs in the same way that Petroleum plastics do, posing potential human health threats through the food chain?
3. Why has Enso chosen petroluem plastics as opposed to a plant based, biodegradable material?

These questions come up all the time, so we thought we’d post our answers to these questions on our blog.  So here it goes…

In any environment where there is a bio-active environment, ENSO bottles will naturally biodegrade. Currently, there is a lot of research going into marine degradation, but there is still a lot of work to do. Marine environments vary drastically from region to region due to various water depths, types of water, etc.  Unfortunately, marine environments are more complicated than soil environments.

It’s also, important to understand the type of polymer and how it behaves in marine environments.  For example, PET which is used for water, soda, juice and other beverages is a dense polymer and will sink to the bottom.  There is very little bioactive environments found directly in marine environments, but at the bottom of those marine environments this is a lot of  bio-active, microbial activity.  This is where the bottles have the highest opportunity to biodegrade.  In reality, we need to keep plastics out of the ocean regardless of the kind.  We have dumped garbage into the oceans for decades and are now dealing with those consequences.  Biodegradable plastics are better than non-biodegradable plastics, however in our opinion no plastics in marine environments is the solution.

Currently, there are no plant based technologies that make environmental sense.  We believe plant based plastics are a good fit for packaging that involves food items, so that there is the highest chance possible for making it into a professional composting environment.  Plant based plastics require an initial chemical breakdown before microbes can do the rest.  This chemical breakdown happens from the exposure to high temp (140 degrees) for 10 days.  If plant based plastics do not make it in such environments they will last just as long as traditional plastics. Most people do not realize this.

Bottles basically have two main disposal paths: recycling or landfills, the third, although small, but important is liter.  The technology we utilize allows ENSO bottles to be fully recycled without contaminating the recycle stream, but for those bottles (which are the majority) that end up in bio-active environments, they will naturally biodegrade with the help of microbes.  We fully believe that we need to improve recycling so that it becomes the primary solution for plastics.  Coke is setting a good direction with using plant material as biochemicals which end up as the same strong polymers we have today, but are from non-fossil fuels.  Plant based plastics will last forever in landfills just like standard plastics.  They, also do take up farming resources and require A LOT of petroleum resources.  Keep in mind that petroleum is also a plant based material.  It is fossilize algae that is processed.  A true plant based environmental solution will revolve around feedstocks such as algae or waste material from other processes.

In the end, it is extremely tough (close to impossible) to design a plastic that will be perfect to all environments and all disposal methods.  We felt that something needed to be done today and the step in the right direction is to integrate into the existing infrastructure of recycling and landfilling.  We believe no matter the type of plastic it doesn’t belong in the ocean or other marine environments.  The solution that works today is to allow plastics to be recycled, and will naturally biodegrade if placed in bioactive environments. This is the best solution available today until we move away from fossil fuels.

ENSO Bottles is a small company in comparison to the companies producing hundreds of billions of bottles per year. Somebody needed to step up and do something, and not wait until tomorrow or until the perfect solution arrives.  We believe we have taken a step in the right direction by doing something now, and will continue our quest in bringing to market the best available technologies which will solve the problem with plastic pollution.

Many thanks,

Danny Clark

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The world is addicted to plastics! We couldn’t get away from them even if we wanted to and the reality is that plastics are a better solution that the alternatives. Look around from where you are reading this blog post and I can guarantee that you are surrounded by plastics. They are used in our phones, computers, furniture, cars, airplanes, misc items all around our daily lives and to top it off our clothing. The problem is so bad that our oceans are clogging up with bits of plastics killing off wildlife and getting into our food supply. We are literally beginning to drown in our own creation of plastics.

What about recycling? Well, that sounds really good on paper and makes since if we do it right but the reality is that over 84% of recycled plastics in the US are shipped to China and what they do with that material really is not recycling. Most of that recycled material is ending up being incinerated or is downcycled into products that have little chance of being recycled again. Why? Because our recycling infrastructure is mostly focused on what makes money and that right now is #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE) type of plastic resins usually from beverage type bottles only. Most recyclable plastic falls outside of this category including the #1 (PET) bottles used for other packaging. To make matters worse, there are very few recycling programs that would be successful if not for legislation (bottle bills) and the government subsides. There are a few recyclers out there who really do make a difference and they are taking any and every type of plastic. They work hard at developing markets for the various types of plastics that the majority of recyclers won’t even look at. I commend these recyclers and wish there were more like them.

If we are going to make a difference with our planet and improve things for our children and grand-children we need to start looking at the big picture and incorporate the way we humans use things. Plastics are not necessarily bad but we should look at how we are making them, how we use them and how we dispose of them. Moving towards plastics which are renewable and that don’t infringe on food resources is the right thing to do for both the environment and our health. Being smarter about the way we use plastics will help us generate less garbage and how we handle that garbage is key to a cleaner future. We need to close the loop on plastics, lets recycle them into second and third life products which can be used again and again. All plastics and materials should be biodegradable so that when they reach the end of their useful life we have a way to create a useful products from the waste, such as methane gas which is a source of clean inexpensive energy.

We can all make a difference, it isn’t too late and is actually easy to do. We simply need to make better choices of the products we are purchasing. Simply look for, and purchase products from companies who are packaging their products in earth friendly biodegradable packaging, this will make the market and companies accountable for what they produce.

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As I’ve thought about this and talked to recyclers, I’ve come to believe that most recyclers are concerned with the environment. But I also realize that recycling like any business must make money to remain in business. In my opinion recycling is an environmental program that plays an important role in saving scarce resources, reducing pollution, creating jobs, reducing landfill, and educating the general public about environmental issues.

Having said all that, I believe we can and need to do a better job of recycling here in the U.S. Our recycling rate here is less than 27 percent while most European countries recycle 60-70 percent of waste. Those countries are extremely efficient at recycling. I recently heard that the lowly throw away tennis shoe is dismantled for the leather, metal and rubber….nothing goes to waste. Which reminds me of a farmer I knew as a kid….he told me they used everything when they butchered a hog…the only thing they didn’t use was the squeal. The big question is how can we do better? Here are some of my thoughts and I would like to hear what some of your ideas are, and do you think we can do better? Remember, if we can show a profit with your idea, recyclers will be all over what you have to say:

(1) Get the manufacturers more involved. Manufacturers who take responsibility for the products they create will be more inclined to reduce unwanted packaging and design products that are more easily recycled.

(2) Get better advice and innovation from trade groups and organizations. Expect your trade group to do a better job. Not only should they be your advocate, they should be innovators helping your industry and you to improve your recycling business. The status quo isn’t going to be good enough if we want to increase recycle rates, recycle more items and create jobs. If your group isn’t interested in helping you develop new markets…..maybe it’s time to find someone new who will help your business grow and prosper. Unfortunately, it seems that many trade organizations have become too comfortable and aren’t interested in change.

(3) Get involved in the political process. Bottle bill laws are popping up all over the country but many of these bills have been heavily influenced by lobbyists, trade groups and at times uninformed consumer groups. Bottle bills may increase recycling of a particular item but the use of the funds for environmental programs is at times lacking.

These aren’t all the answers to a complex problem but the beginning of a dialog that will, hopefully, get us all thinking about how we can fix environmental problems and improve our environment. Governments are moving toward writing laws that will require manufacturers to practice product stewardship. If that happens, manufacturers will develop their own recycling programs and that will change the way recycling operates.  This could also provide an opportunity for the recycling industry to embrace innovation and to develop programs to bring manufactures and recyclers together.  This would lead to recycling services closing the loop on product stewardship.

By Max

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To calculate how much energy can be created from ENSO bottles take the weight of the ENSO bottle multiply it by % carbon, multiply by 1.33 (molecular weight of CH4 16 / molecular weight of carbon 12 – this converts the carbon to methane), then multiply by 22.4 (L/g – ideal gas law).

(bottle wt * bottle carbon %) * (methane mass 16 / carbon mass 12) * 22.4 L/g = vol. methane per bottle

(19.2 gram * 62.5%) * (1.33) * 22.4 = vol. of methane per bottle

(12) * (1.33) * 22.4 = 357.50 L * (1 m3/100 L) = .3575 m3

Once we know the volume of methane per bottle we need to convert that into how much energy can be created per volume of methane. The Thermal energy content of methane is approximately 26.73 – 32.7 kj/m3 therefore about (26.73 + 32.7) / 2 = 29.715 kJ/m3

.3575 m3 * 29.715 kJ/m3 = 10.623 kJ

1kJ/second = 1kW and considering a 100W light bulb:

10.623 kJ = 10.623 kW seconds * (1000 W/1 kW) * (1 hr/3600 s) = 2.95 W hr

To light a 100W light bulb for 1 hour would require 33.88 ENSO bottles:

100 W * (1/2.95 W hr) = 33.88

Let’s take a look at the real number of plastic bottles ending up in landfills. In 2006, approximately 31 billion single serve water bottles were not recycled and ended up in landfills. These bottles if they were biodegradable could result in approximately 1 million hours of light for a 100W light bulb.

31,000,000,000 bottles * (1 hr/33.88 bottles) = 914,759 hrs

How would the energy compare if I’m using CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps)?

By adding additional energy efficiency solutions the value of using methane from landfills really shines. Using compact fluorescent lamps vs incandescent the energy efficiency would quadruple. Compared to incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), when used properly have the following advantages:

• Last up to 10 times longer
• Use about one-fourth the energy
• Produce 90% less heat, while producing more light per watt

The table below compares the wattage of commonly available incandescent lamps and the wattage of a CFL that will provide similar light levels. So by using a 25W CFL bulbs and using the same 100W of energy from the methane off gassed from ENSO bottles we essentially quadruple the total light output.

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Sonoma, CA, September 25, 2007 – PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles have garnered a great deal of media attention recently, some of it raising questions about PET safety. According to the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), the trade group for PET packaging, it’s time to clear up any fallacies and set the record straight: Consumers can continue to rely on the safety of PET bottles.

If you drink a single-serve water or carbonated beverage from a plastic bottle, chances are you’re drinking it from PET, identified with a small number “1” or “PETE” on the container side or bottom. The PET bottle is a well-accepted package all over the world and is completely safe to drink from as well as lightweight, unbreakable, and recyclable.

But, can you safely freeze a PET bottle? Yes. There is no danger in the freezing of PET bottles, and no truth to the rumors that dioxins leach from frozen PET bottles. There is no dioxin in PET plastic. Dioxins are formed by combustion in incinerators at temperatures above 1700 degrees F. — and by volcanoes. Furthermore, freezing does not affect PET bottles.

Leave a PET bottle in your hot car? Yes. The idea that PET bottles “leach” chemicals when heated in hot cars is not based on any science, and is unsubstantiated by any credible evidence. This allegation has been perpetuated by emails until it has become an urban legend, but it just isn’t so.

Reuse a PET bottle? Yes. Just wash it first, as you would any other food or beverage container after use.

Do PET bottles contain “bis-phenol A” which some claim can cause birth defects? No. Bis-phenol A is not used to make PET, nor is it used to make any of the component materials used to make PET.

What about the chemicals called “phthalates? They are not in PET. In spite of the similarity of part of PET’s chemical name, PET is not the kind of “phthalate” that is being talked about. The type of “phthalate” about which concern has been raised is used to make various plastics more flexible, and in that role is called a “plasticizer.” PET does not contain plasticizers or the type of “phthalate” that is used in plasticizers.

What about Antimony? Antimony oxide is often used in extremely tiny amounts as a “catalyst” in the production of PET plastic. Its very low toxicity combined with very low extraction rate from PET translates to very, very low risk. Its use in PET does not endanger workers, consumers, or the environment.

NAPCOR Contacts: Dennis Sabourin (707) 996-4207, X13 or Kate Eagles, x16

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Did you know that Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic does not float? PET is used to make the bottles you use everyday for; soda, water, juice, etc., and beverage containers are just the tip of the iceberg. Almost everything we drink from is made from PET plastic, and it doesn’t float.

What does this mean?

If you Google “Pacific Ocean Gyre” and look at some of the documentary from various informational programs, you will see the staggering issue we have created in our oceans. The really bad news is that the stuff they are reporting on is a different kind of plastic that is used for the lids and caps of these beverage drinks, as well as more industrial applications, and is the stuff that floats. So basically we are aware of the problem on the surface literally.

Greenpeace reports that 70% of our plastic that ends up in the ocean is found at the bottom of our ocean. We have no idea what the effect will be on our deep ocean ecosystem. We know that when fish and other marine life mistake the plastic for food, they are being injured and dying as a direct result of plastic pollution. Plastic has become an integral part of our lives and is probably going to stay around. We need to develop plastics that are more earth friendly, that won’t harm our oceans or future generations.

ENSO bottles provide such a solution in that they are truly biodegradable through microbial digestion. If ENSO bottles end up in the ocean, landfills or litter, they will become food for microbes found iand biodegrade into biogases and humus. Our goal is to have plastic that doesn’t become part of our food chain. If all plastics were biodegradable then plastics that end up in oceans or any other microbial environment would biodegrade by microbial activity.

We all need to do more if we want to make a difference. We need to change the way we humans look at our environment, we need to recycle more, and purchase responsibly. There is a growing interest in becoming better stewards of our planet. I believe we will come together to help, not hurt our environment. It’s for all of our future well being, besides, who wants to order a plastic sandwich instead of a fish sandwich?

By Del Andrus

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Biodegradable Plastics, what does it mean and why is there so much confusion about something that sounds so simple to define?  The ASTM defines biodegradable plastics as “a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally-occurring micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae”.   Sounds simple enough, so why all the confusion?   The confusion really comes from two aspects; 1) confusion between using the term degradable vs. biodegradable and 2) the loose use of the word biodegradable.

On the market today there is really three categories of plastics that biodegrade or degrade.  Those technologies are PLA (Polylatic Acid), Oxo-degradable and a new technology called EcoPure.  So now that we know what is out on the market how do we know which ones biodegrade vs. degrade?

PLA is a bioplastic made from starch; specifically it is being manufactured by starches from genetically modified corn.  This technology and supporting organizations such as BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) claim that PLA biodegrades.  However, this claim is confusing because they are using the term “biodegradable” extremely loosely.  PLA is a “compostable plastic” in that it goes through “degradation” to break down not true “biodegradation”.  PLA does not break down or biodegrade in a landfill and will only begin to “degrade” after being exposed to heat (specifically 140° for over a five day period).  This kind of environment can only be found in a commercial composting facility.  We find that many of the articles and organizations who support PLA are greatly contributing to the confusion by not using correct standards based definitions of that technology.  What remains behind once PLA composts is CO2 and with professional composting facilities they are currently not capturing any gases so all gases are released into the atmosphere.

Now let’s move onto Oxo-degradable, as the name implies this technology causes the product to degrade.  This particular technology incorporates the use of an additive that begins to break the plastic chains when exposed to oxygen, heat and moisture.  Although this technology is fairly upfront with the type of degradation taking place the marketing materials suggest that once the pieces of plastic have broken down into small enough fragments that it creates the opportunity for microbes to finish those plastic fragments through biodegradation.  This aspect may be true but it extremely difficult to validate as the plastic fragments must have degraded to the micro level.  There are various reports as to what remains in the soil and air once an Oxo-degradable product has degraded.  This ranges from heavy or low metals, salts, CO2 and CH4; because many of these products will degrade in a landfill the gases of CO2 and CH4 will be captured and burned.

Moving on to the final technology we find Bio-tec Environmental EcoPure.  EcoPure is the technology behind the ENSO Bottle.  This technology also is applied in the form of an additive to existing polymers.  The technology behind EcoPure is that uses organic compounds to open the polymer chain and attractants to stimulate microbial colonization on the plastic.  Because the polymer chain in open the micro organisms can use the carbon chain as a source of food and energy.  Because this is happening at the atomic level what remains is CO2, CH4 and inert humus and because many of these products will degrade in a landfill the gases of CO2 and CH4 will be captured and burned.

So there we have it, an explanation of the differences between biodegradable and degradable.  Now that we know the difference between the two it still leaves the bigger question of which technology and method is better for the environment; biodegradable or degradable?  In order to answer that question would require another blog, however you should always keep in mind that the overall net impact to the environment.  When trying to answer that question keep in mind the following; using food to create plastics, pesticides that effect water, total water consumption, total fossil fuels used in processing, greenhouse gases emitted in processing and breaking down, the benefit of the product, does the biodegradation or degradation create any benefits such as clean energy?

By – Danny Clark

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The other night I was helping my daughter with her math homework. She was frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of problems and the difficulty level. After several hours of this, she stopped cold in her tracks. “I am not going to do this anymore, this is too hard, there are way too many problems and I don’t even know how to solve them! I might as well just quit.”

This reminds me of the many times I have felt this way myself with environmental issues – Why does everyone litter – Do I use paper, plastic or reusable bags (I forgot my reusable bags again!) – Rain forests disappearing – Ice caps melting – Global warming – Plastic bottles – Driving my car…. The issues can sometimes seem endless and a bit overwhelming if we try to tackle everything. Sometimes I too feel like stomping my feet and giving up.

So, back to the math lesson; what happened? I covered up every math problem except one and we began to work one problem at a time. Even breaking the problems down to the individual components when a problem seemed difficult. About 30 minutes later, the lesson was complete and my eight year old stated “Once I stopped looking at the whole thing, it was easy.”

So let’s all take the advice of an eight year old and stop worrying about every environmental issue out there. Pick one simple thing and make a start – One Step to Success! (I am going to turn off the lights when I leave, how about you?)

Thanks

Teresa M Clark

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Nestlé expecting sustainability-savvy suppliers

By Mike Verespej

CHICAGO (Nov. 21, 4:15 p.m. ET) — There are a lot of things companies can do that create an appearance of being green and sustainable. But Kim Jeffery wants to do things that actually enhance sustainability and the environment.

“Are you trying to look good, or are you trying to do good?” asked the president and chief executive officer of Nestlé Waters North America, in a Nov. 6 interview during Sustain ’08 in Chicago.

“If going for energy credits is all you are going to do and you are not going to work on your supply chain, it doesn’t pass the sniff test,” he said.

“I want to be known as a company that does good. We are going to hold ourselves to be self-accountable in a very transparent way” with goals and milestones, many of which were outlined in the company’s corporate citizenship report in October.

A company must first get its own house in order and develop ways to “use less of something” to save money, resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its carbon footprint, said Jeffery. But he added that a company then must “go outside its own four walls.”

For its part, Nestlé Waters reduced the size of its half-liter PET water bottle 15 percent this year, and will reduce it another 20 percent in 2009, cutting its weight to 9.8 grams. Using less material results in energy savings and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Nestlé Waters is working with its suppliers to achieve additional sustainability gains.“We are just getting to the point where people will have to have their house in order to do business with us,” said Jeffery. “We are going to be pushing more on our suppliers to figure some of this stuff out. By 2013, we plan to reduce carbon intensity by 20 percent across our full value chain — from the production of plastic resin to delivery of products to our customers.”

Jeffery also wants to ensure Nestlé makes the right sustainability and environmental decisions on the use of recycled content in its bottles and the use of bioplastics as a feedstock.

Nestlé has set a goal of producing a bottle with up to 25 percent recycled PET by 2013, and developing and producing a “next-generation bot- tle” manufactured entirely from recycled materials or renewable materials by 2020, Jeffery said.

But Jeffery has some concerns about both of those concepts. “It sounds good to have recycled content,” said Jeffery. “But it takes more energy to use recycled PET and it may be more expensive than using virgin resin because of processing costs. So it is not particularly attractive” from an economic standpoint.

Jeffery contends that right now it makes more sense, economically, to use recycled PET for carpets and strapping. “We should operate on a hierarchical approach and use [recycled PET] in the most efficient uses first,” he said. “So unless you have used recycled PET for other products first, using [it] for bottles may not be the best use of that material.”

Similarly, he said, while polylactic acid is being used to make water bottles, at this point, “it uses a lot more material and it is used once” because of the paucity of industrial composting facilities in the U.S. In addition, Jeffery said PLA “can’t be commingled with other plastics that are recycled [because] it will disrupt the float-sink process to sort plastics and because it looks identical to PET containers.”

“Is using bioplastics the best solution?” questioned Jeffery. “The better solution may be getting better at PET recycling, but that is also the harder solution.” The Sustain ’08 conference was organized by Plastics News and the Washington-based Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.

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Here’s a great source for plastics/going geen/ information.

Max

http://www.plasticsnews.com.

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