Is the carbonator packaging recyclable? How much plastic do they use?Updated a year ago

Our team undertook a very deliberate development process to ensure that our carbonator packaging is recyclable and to minimize its size.

You will see the recycling symbol #5 on each carbonator sachet.  This symbol means that the carbonator sachet package is made of a single type of plastic called polypropylene and it is a recyclable material.  Your curbside recycling program may accept it, depending on your region. 

Most sachet packaging is made of plastic and foil layers.  These dual or triple-layer sachets with multiple materials are not recyclable and must be disposed of in landfills. We developed our sachet packaging using a single type of material to make our sachets recyclable.  To do so has required using customized and specialized machinery for packaging our carbonators.

In addition, we have minimized the amount of plastic used in each carbonator. You will notice that the carbonator sachet packaging is very thin and light. Each carbonator uses less than 1 gram of plastic to make a 750ml sparkling beverage.  Compare that to a typical store-bought sparkling beverage which will use at least 30g of plastic per 750ml bottle.

We are not satisfied yet.  We are pleased that Spärkel eliminates the environmental footprint of shipping sparkling beverages from their production source.  Some sparkling beverages are shipped across continents.  Shipping sparkling water over the ocean is no longer necessary as you can make great sparkling water and more from your tap water.  We are also pleased that we use minimal & recyclable packaging.  We will continue to innovate using compostable, plant-based and zero-waste solutions.  We're working on that now because our team isn't satisfied yet.

Other FAQs About Spärkel Carbonators:

Q. Why doesn’t Spärkel not offer a bulk Carbonator option to cut down on waste?

A. Spärkel Carbonators are individually packaged and sealed for precise measurement and to keep moisture away from the carbonator. Even a very small variation in quantity will impact the quantity of pressure generated. It would be impossible to get an accurate measurement every time with a scoop as the quantities required are precise. Over time, even small amounts of extra or imbalanced ingredients can lead to the system building additional pressure and residue, which will damage the Spärkel System over time and cause safety hazards. 

Q. Why are Spärkel Carbonators made of plastic?

A. After months of research and testing, our engineering team was able to make the sachet out of a single polypropylene plastic, which carries the recycling symbol #5, a commonly accepted recycling category. The sachets were made with as little material as possible with each carbonator using only 0.8g gram of recyclable plastic. This is compared to approximately 30 grams of plastic used in each plastic sparkling water bottle.

Q. What if my local recycling program doesn’t accept recycling symbol #5?

A. Number 5 plastics can be recycled through many curbside programs. If your area does not accept #5 plastics, please contact your local waste & recycling facility or visit the links below to learn more:

Q. Why can’t Spärkel make their Carbonators out of paper?

A. Unfortunately any sort of moisture is not a friend of Citric Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate. If the Carbonators are exposed to any moisture or allowed to cross-react across permeable barriers (like paper), they will decline in effectiveness.

Q. Why doesn’t Spärkel use compostable or biodegradable packaging?

A. We are in the process of researching & developing options that would allow our Carbonators to be packaged without plastic. Issues sourcing viable and truly biodegradable solutions and varying local regulations make compostable and biodegradable packaging tricky, but we are taking steps toward a zero-waste solution in the future.

Q. What’s the environmental footprint of Spärkel Carbonators?

A. Our Carbonators are made of a thin polypropylene and carry recycling symbol #5, a commonly accepted recycling category. Only 0.8g of plastic goes into each Spärkel Carbonator, compared to approximately 30 grams of plastic used in each plastic sparkling water bottle. In other words, 37.5 bottles made with Spärkel use the same amount of plastic as one traditional sparkling water bottle. This is in addition to the environmental benefits of not shipping cases of water across regions or requiring two-way shipping to exchange CO2 tanks. 

Q. Why not lower the price of Spärkel Carbonators?

A. We recently reduced the price of our Carbonators thanks to the support of our growing community enabling our production volume to increase. Greater volume equals bigger savings that will be passed on to our customers. We will continue to work to make Spärkel as accessible as we can! Don’t forget you can subscribe and save on Spärkel’s Carbonator Subscription Program with discounts according to your timeline.

If you have any comments or questions regarding DIY carbonators, we would love to hear from you! Reach out to us at [email protected].