Do you ever wonder what happens to those water bottles you throw in the recycle bins around NOVA? Well not all of them are made into those handy reusable shopping bags you get at the grocery store. Chances are that some of them are now going towards making a brand new environmentally friendly pen that is being produced exclusively by Pilot. The pen is called Bottle 2 Pen (or B2P), and it is a unique writing tool made from recycled water bottles, which is even made to look like a water bottle with its translucent blue body and wave-like striations. These features make this retractable gel ink pen not only appealing to the eye, but also comfortable to hold. But what’s more important than the pen’s aesthetics, are its implications for the environment.

According to the Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. That’s enough bottles laid end to end to reach to China and back each day. According to a Pilot press release, approximately two B2P pens can be made from one plastic water bottle, that’s one plastic bottle for every pair of pens created that doesn’t become landfill waste, which by the way doesn’t biodegrade for over a century.

According to the State of California Department of Conservation, plastic bottles create another environmental problem when they are incinerated with other trash because when burned they produced toxic greenhouse gases that attack the ozone layer.

The B2P is one of a long list of useful items that can be made from recycled water bottles, including car bumpers, life jackets, rope, t-shirts, carpet, the ever-present yet undeniably handy reusable shopping bag, and even lumber for homes and decks.

So if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “What’s the point in recycling? It doesn’t really make a difference,” the B2P pen, along with the plethora of other everyday materials, is among the answers.

When it’s out of ink, the pen is refillable. Just look for the same refills that are used by the Pilot G2 pen.

Not only is the B2P made from recycled content, but it is packaged in recycled materials as well. So just about everything about it is green except the color of the ink, which is blue, black or red.

By: Ashley Strobridge

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