Papier-mache milk “GreenBottles”

Nice idea reported in Wired - An eco-friendly, papier-mache milk carton from an inventor called Martin Myerscough, has won over local dairies, and is now being trialled in Asda shops around the country.

The need for biodegradable and more recyclable milk bottle designs is a pressing concern. The traditional plastic milk carton can be recycled, but if it's chucked onto a landfill site, it will take some 500 years to decompose.

In 2007, the Environment Agency said Britain's West Midland landfills have only enough room for the seven more years of waste, if residents keep throwing it away at the current rate.

This new design, named GreenBottles, has a much longer lifespan, and decomposes much quicker when spent. The outer shell is made of thin, but sturdy, papier-mache, which can recycled up to seven times and then only takes a few weeks to decompose on the compost heap.

Inside, the milk is held in a plastic lining. It's not quite as environmentally friendly as the paper exterior, but it will take up less than 0.5 percent of the space of a plastic bottle when dumped.

Local Suffolk dairies were the first to trial the new eco-friendly packaging, and a handful of Asda stores in East Anglia have been using the bottle for a number of months. This week, the bottle will go nationwide, starting in Cornwall. "GreenBottles have hit the South West this week, we're now in stores in St Austell, Bodmin, Falmouth and Newquay," says the bottle's official Facebook page.

The paper bottles are greener, but not necessarily cheaper. With the expensive paper cases being manufactured in Turkey, the new bottles are actually about the same price to make as the plastic ones. But if they become more popular, bulk-production methods could mean price decreases.