Waste Management

UAE engineers develop water bottles that fit in your pocket to tackle plastic waste

Idea to change how the public consumes bottled water was a prize-winner in a sustainability competition hosted by Masdar

A team of enterprising engineers with a thirst to slash plastic waste have developed reusable water bottles that can be folded to fit in a pocket or a purse, or even repurposed for drinking tea.

The trio of Angela Lopez Blanco, 23, from Spain and her Emirati teammates, Amna Al Ali and Ruwayya Al Mehrzi attracted commercial interest for their designs, which aim to shake up the world's drinking habits.

Their project won the Ecothon Innovation Challenge, organised by sustainability specialists Masdar in collaboration with Nestlé, the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an.

Nestle has already expressed interest in bringing the innovative water bottles to market.

The first design from the group, working under the name Re, was the 'On the Go' bottle that can be easily folded to fit inside a purse or even a pocket.