Although it may not be as delightful as devouring the waffle cone once you’ve eaten all the ice cream, an edible ball of water could be the solution to plastic waste from water bottles.
A London Company called Skipping Rocks Lab is developing a water bottle that you just eat once all the water is gone. The bottle can be swallowed, digested and even has further hydrating effects, the company claims.
But it’s not a traditional bottle that holds the water. It’s an actual ball. The founders have a video of themselves devouring their invention, which they call Ooho, on the company website.
They say it’s perfect “for hydration on the go. Think festivals, markets, and on the street. Now, we’re ready to take Ooho to bigger audiences, and we’re talking to major events, such as London Marathon,” said COO/CFO Lise Honsinger in the website video.
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Finding the money to get their project off the ground is proving anything but a challenge. They have set up a crowdfunding page and, so far, have collected £800,000, double their original target.
According to the Skipping Rocks Lab/Ooho website:
- The product is made entirely of plants and seaweed.
- It biodegrades in just four to six weeks, like a piece of fruit.
- It is edible and can be flavored and colored.
- They come fresh with a shelf life of a few days.
- They are cheaper to package than plastic.
Water bottle waste is a problem of epic proportions in America. According to the watchdog group The Water Project, which is dedicated to curbing America’s water waste, “We take water for granted. We waste it. And when we consume bottled water, we pay far too much for it.”
The group claims that health risks about the plastic bottles water comes in is unknown since bottled water is a relatively new phenomenon of recent decades. What’s more, waste from bottled water has amounted to two million tons thus far, and water bottle manufacturing requires one and a half million barrels of oil.
For its part, the International Bottled Water Association says Americans are in love with their bottled water regardless of these talking points. Business is booming.
“Consumer demand for bottled water looks likely to remain strong in the years ahead. Increases in per capita consumption indicate enthusiasm for a product that consumers regard as a healthful alternative to other beverages,” said Michael Bellas, BMC chairman and CEO, in a news release.
“Americans increased their annual consumption by more than 11 gallons, from 25.4 gallons per person in 2005 to 36.5 gallons a decade later. During the same period, per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks dropped by 12.4 gallons. Per capita consumption of other major beverage categories, like milk and fruit beverages, also fell,” Bellas said.
Related: Why You May Want to Drink Water Before Coffee in the Morning
A professional journalist nearly 30 years, David Heitz started his career at the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa before moving to Los Angeles. He led the Glendale News-Press to best small daily newspaper in the state (CNPA) as managing editor and also worked as executive news editor of the Press-Telegram. He worked briefly as deputy news editor of the Detroit News before returning to the Quad-Cities, where he has worked as a freelance medical writer since 2012 for several national websites. He recently purchased his childhood home and says he truly is “living the dream.”
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