Biodegradable algae water bottles provide a green alternative to plastic

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/plastic-water-bottles/">Plastic water bottles</a> come with a higher price tag than most people realize, taking up to <a href="http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/01/31/what-happens-to-all-that-plastic/">1,000 years</a> to decompose in a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/landfill/">landfill</a>. The fact that at least half of all water bottles are used only once makes the waste that much more egregious. Icelandic product designer Ari Jónsson decided he needed to take action by fashioning a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/biodegradable/">biodegradable</a> water bottle from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/algae-water-bottle/">algae</a>.

Made simply with agar powder and water, the algae water bottle is an all-natural alternative to plastic that is safe for the environment.

Jónsson was inspired to create the bottle after learning that around 50 percent of plastic water bottles are used only once.

Plastic water bottles are then tossed into landfills, where they could take up to 1,000 years to decompose.

In contrast, Jónsson's water bottle breaks down as soon as it no longer holds water.

No toxins leak into a drinker's water either; in fact they can even chew on Jónsson's bottle - if they want.

Jónsson debuted his product design at DesignMarch, a Reykjavik design festival.

This all-natural alternative could be the future of water bottles.