In India, Dhritiman Borah is fighting plastic water bottle waste with handmade organic bhaluka, a variety of bamboo, water bottles. The water bottles are cut, boiled, dried, smoked and then finished and coated with whatever his clients request – from camphor and mustard oil to a waterproof oil polish. Each bottle takes about five hours to make and costs between Rs 200 and Rs 450 (about $2.82 and $6.34).
Boiling the bamboo strengthens it so that the water bottle can last at least 18 months. Borah said that he can’t keep up with demand, however, and is producing about 1,500 every month. With better machinery, it could go up to 8,000 a month, but the investment in the machinery is too expensive for Borah at this point.