25 Jan What Is An Eco Brick?
Eco bricks are plastic bottles that have been tightly packed with plastic and other non-recyclable material. They are being used as upcycled building materials and have revolutionized the way we see sustainable materials, recycling and waste management.
How Are Eco Bricks Made?
There are some fine-line requirements to earn the term ‘eco-brick’, but it is an easy process that everyone can follow.
The process involves finding an empty plastic bottle (with its lid) and filling it with clean, dry plastic until it’s so tightly packed that it could be used as a building block.
We will write more about the textbook process in a later blog, but for the purposes of this post, we’re keeping it as general as possible.
What Are Eco Bricks Used For?
Eco bricks are used in a variety of sustainable and uplifting building projects. Because the plastic inside an eco-bricks is very durable and will almost never break down, it can be used as a building material.
In the UK, children’s’ playgrounds are being constructed with eco-bricks
In developing countries around the world, furniture, buildings, and other projects are using eco-bricks as a building material.
In South Africa, many sustainable construction projects have been using eco-bricks as their main material. Outside classrooms, community garden centers, and composting toilets are being constructed with eco-bricks.
In Guatemala, numerous schools are being built with eco-bricks.
Why Use Eco-bricks?
By encouraging the production of eco-bricks, you help reduce the size of landfills one bottle at a time.
By collecting, cleaning and stuffing small plastic into plastic bottles, you will become aware of the amount of plastic that’s floating about, encouraging more conscious buying choices.
By making eco-bricks, you help prevent plastic from reaching the ocean, saving countless sea life.
You also help prevent plastic from being incinerated, reducing CO2 emissions and its impact on global warming.
By reusing and upcycling plastic, you are giving rise to a positive outcome for the already used plastic out there.
By promoting eco-bricks, sustainable building projects can access more eco-bricks as their building material.
Bottom Line
Eco bricks are a fantastic way to upcycle and reuse single-use plastics, reduce the impact of the existing plastic and give way to sustainable building projects. Furthermore, eco-bricks can be used to encourage sustainable development and green living in developing communities.