Once a month, Felix and other members of the Fleet tribe undertook a plastic waste collection and recycling initiative in MysticLand. Plastic takes 450 years to decompose (break down). Some plastic makes its way into the oceans, polluting them and even endangering marine life. That’s why it’s important to recycle plastic and convert it into usable materials.
Now, Mysticals don’t usually use plastic. But sometimes, they sneak in human food and beverages packed in plastic. Felix entered his dorm room today and said, “Do we have any plastic for recycling?”
“No,” replied Scorch.
“Oh, right,” said Felix, “We got juice packed in 100% compostable paper bottles made by a startup called Kagzi Bottles.”
He picked up a brown-colored bottle from a neatly arranged stack next to the dustbin.
“This bottle is the first-of-its-kind in India!” said Felix, “Founder Samiksha Ganeriwal first thought of creating an alternative to single-use plastic when she was doing a project in college. This dream was realized in 2018 when Ganeriwal decided to set up a company focused on creating such paper bottles.
But since she did not have educational training in this field, she consulted product designers and scientists. In December 2020, she launched a prototype of this product. A prototype is the first version of an invention. Ganeriwal’s paper bottle doesn’t contain any plastic. That makes it 100% biodegradable.
First, waste paper is sourced from a company in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. When this waste paper is mixed with water and chemicals, it breaks down into a mixture called the pulp. This pulp is then molded into the shape of two halves of a bottle. Before gluing them together, these two halves are sprayed with a solution that makes them water-resistant like banana leaves.
And then, you have a Kagzi paper bottle!”
“What a smart solution to the plastic problem,” remarked Verum.