Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Just how do you mean that, sir?

In case you didn’t know, Benjamin is Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie The Graduate from 1967. Today Benjamin wouldn’t be so confused about the role of plastics in our lives and nowhere is it more prevalent than in the form of the plastic water bottle.

I’d like to think that Benjamin was a conscientious person and that maybe he would have landed a job with the Brita Water Filtration Systems Company. By now you’ve probably seen their clear plastic pitchers hanging out in your friend’s fridge, or maybe you own one like me. Brita’s plastic filters reduce your tap water’s chlorine taste and remove mercury via the carbon bits stuffed inside. But what do you do with the filter after it has served its purpose and needs replacing? To solve this question, Brita partnered with Boston-based Preserve, a 13-year-old company that makes house wares from recycled plastics. You may be wondering how this translates into Jubbling?

Jubbling starts when the consumer uses their tap water instead of bottled water. This reduces plastic bottle waste in landfills. It also lessens overall impact stemming from the transportation and warehousing of bottled water, including the fuel consumption and emissions produced when bringing it to the marketplace.

The Double-Jubbling, if you will, is fulfilled when the pitcher filters are further recycled into other items like toothbrushes and cutting boards via Preserve’s recycling process.. Preserve is currently promoting their Gimme 5 Program, which offers consumers drop-off locations, like Whole Foods Markets, as well as mailing instructions for used filters. The number five refers to the No. 5 polypropylene plastic (the number is found inside the small triangle on the bottom or side of some plastic containers) used in the Brita filter’s design. Apparently, not many municipalities accept this type in their recycling programs so this program keeps those items from filling up landfills.

What is incredible here is that we’re seeing three life-cycles of useful products. First is the pitcher filter, second is the new Preserve product created from recycled filters and the third use comes from recycling the second product after its lifespan is done. What do you call already good Jubbling that has been tweaked for increased benefit? Is it a Double-Jubbling? Maybe it’s a Redundant Jubbling, or Jubbling To The Third Degree? I’m not sure but this idea holds huge potential for reducing consumer impact and even calming the future concerns of present-day Benjamins all around the world.

Benjamin: I’m just…
Mr. Braddock: Worried?
Benjamin: Well…
Mr. Braddock: About what?
Benjamin: I guess about my future.
Mr. Braddock: What about it?
Benjamin: I don’t know… I want it to be…
Mr. Braddock: To be what?
Benjamin: [looks at his father] … Different.