DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- Publix supermarkets are making a new product available that officials hope will cut down on littering in South Florida.

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The Biota Water bottle looks and feels like plastic, but it's actually made from corn. The new, high-tech material is just as effective as plastic and it's biodegradable.

If you throw it in a landfill or compost pile, the bottle dissolves in as little as 80 days, according to Biota.

"Well, you know, I did not realize what we were starting but, absolutely, I feel really good about the type of response we've gotten from all over the world," said David Zutler, CEO of Biota. "And now we are changing the world one bottle at a time and I feel personally that I have had something to do with help making a difference."

The Biota bottle is available in Publix stores starting Tuesday.

"I think it is important for businesses and industry to adopt anything that is environmentally friendly. We all live on this planet," said Anne Hendricks, of Publix.

Dr. Renata Schneider, of the Wildlife Care Center, said she is excited about the new bottle because she sees animals every day that are sick because they have either eaten or been trapped by litter.

"A lot of these animals just don't make it into us. They end up dying before we ever get a chance to try to save them," said Schneider. "When Publix decides to go with a more environmentally friendly line of product, other people will follow suit to be competitive."