If Sara Spence has her way, you won't be throwing out the plastic bottle she's designed - even though it is compostable.

Using a biodegradable form of plastic made from vegetable starch - called polylactic acid - the bottle will disintegrate after two years. But that's not the only point of difference of the "Love Bottle". When lined up next to each other they fit together, much like a couple who are spooning, says Spence, a COFA design graduate.

"It's about creating connectivity between the bottles," she says. "One bottle is part of every bottle created, so it is designed to make you think about the extent of the environmental problem when you pick one up."

And given their aesthetically pleasing design, it's hoped the bottles would be re-used. "If we look after the products which we use on a regular basis and ensure they are used responsibly, we are showing signs of love for them."

The 25-year-old is in talks with a New Zealand company to commercialise her design. "If they do go into production, I think there will be pressure on their competitors to follow suit," Spence says. "I'm hoping that will then trickle down to food packaging, medical packaging and to other companies that use plastic in such vast quantities."

Featured in the current issue of the UNSW magazine, Uniken.

Media contact: Susi Hamilton | 02 9385 1583 | 0422 934 024