Sustainability

Bottles that return to Earth

A conventional plastic bottle can sit in a landfill for centuries. Every Whatrr bottle is engineered to do the opposite.

The 700-year problem

Most bottled water solves one problem and quietly creates another: the bottle. Conventional PET plastic is built to last — long after the water is gone.

~700 yrs
Conventional PET
A standard plastic bottle can persist in a landfill for centuries, slowly fragmenting into microplastics.
~7 yrs
Whatrr PET — projected
With a 1% biodegradable additive, laboratory modeling forecasts a full breakdown into biogas in roughly 7.

How a Whatrr bottle breaks down

“Biodegradable” gets used loosely. Here is exactly what it means for a Whatrr bottle — step by step.

1
Still everyday PET
Whatrr bottles are standard, recyclable PET with a 1% additive blended in — same clarity, same strength, same performance on the shelf.
2
Microbes go to work
In a landfill’s warm, low-oxygen environment, naturally occurring microbes begin breaking the bottle down — the same process that handles food scraps and yard waste.
3
Plastic becomes bio-materials
Rather than sitting inert for centuries, the bottle converts into methane and carbon — in landfills this allows for energy-rich biogas that utilities can capture as clean energy.

Independently tested

We don’t ask anyone to take our word for it. Whatrr’s biodegradability is measured against rigorous, internationally recognized ASTM standards — methods that track how much of the plastic actually converts into biogas, not just how it fragments.

ASTM D5511
Tracks how a material converts into methane-rich biogas in the warm, high-moisture, low-oxygen conditions of an anaerobic digester or landfill bioreactor.
ASTM D5526
A long-term test that mirrors a real municipal landfill — low heat, high pressure, limited oxygen — for a realistic read on landfill breakdown.
ASTM D5988
Simulates a material exposed to soil, air and moisture. A scientific benchmark only — Whatrr does not endorse littering of any kind.
Bio-Methane Potential
A laboratory assay used worldwide by governments and researchers to measure how much biogas a material can ultimately produce.

Independent validation is ongoing. Whatrr bottles are currently being tested under these ASTM protocols to confirm real-world landfill timelines.

See the science for yourself

The test methods behind our biodegradability work — and the independent lab study currently in progress.

Biodegradation timelines reflect laboratory testing and modeling normalized to landfill conditions. The actual rate of biodegradation varies with environmental conditions and the microbial activity surrounding the plastic. Whatrr does not endorse or support littering of any kind.