Many are turning to sustainable living as of late.
They do away with plastic and adopt a paperless
lifestyle, but there are still different forms of plastic
all around us. A project that started here in the
Philippines is making waves all over the world
that’s tackling this problem one “brick” at a time:
The Plastic Solution and Ecobricks.org.
Eco-bricks are made by stuffing used recycled
plastic bottle containers with dry non-
biodegradable materials. The bottles are then used
as filler bricks in building systems. These eco-bricks
have already built schools, houses, and parks. Since
plastics have no place in the environment, the
move to repurpose them into literal building blocks
is a wise solution.
The story started in the Philippines when two
different organizations came up with the same idea
of stuffing plastic bottles with plastics. Circle Hostel
co-founder Ziggie Gonzales was inspired by the
idea online and proceeded to launch The Plastic
Solution, which is an environmental initiative and a
challenge to put trash to good use. Starting with
themselves, they have used eco-bricks on their
hostel chain in Zambales, La Union, and Baler.
In Northern Luzon, from whom Gonzales took
inspiration from, is where ecobricks.org was
started by founder Russell Maier. Living in the
Cordilleras, he witnessed just how much plastic is
being dumped in the mountains that spoiled the
rivers. Rehashing the idea of stuffing plastic bottles
with sand to make bricks, he used plastics instead
and found out that there was no difference. If
anything, it was even a better brick: reusable and
would last forever.
To start making an eco-brick, one would need
washed and dried plastic wastes, a plastic bottle,
scissors, and a stick that can fit through the mouth
of the bottle. Cut the soft plastics into bigger pieces
and the hard plastics into small pieces. Start with
the soft plastic at the bottom and fill with the cut-
up plastics. Pack the bottle using the stick making
sure that it is compact and meets the minimum
weight requirement, which is the bottle volume
times 0.35.
After packing your eco-bricks, you can bring them
to drop-off points available around Manila. To both
lessen your trash and contribute to the community,
why not start living with fewer plastics. With your
unavoidable plastics, stuff them into a brick and
help build the next classroom. The road to a waste-
free planet starts with the small things.
Source: http://primer.com.ph/business/2018/08/04/ecobricks-transforms-
plastic-waste-to-building-blocks/
Many are turning to sustainable living as of late.
They do away with plastic and adopt a paperless
lifestyle, but there are still different forms of plastic
all around us. A project that started here in the
Philippines is making waves all over the world
that’s tackling this problem one “brick” at a time:
The Plastic Solution and Ecobricks.org.
Eco-bricks are made by stuffing used recycled
plastic bottle containers with dry non-
biodegradable materials. The bottles are then used
as filler bricks in building systems. These eco-bricks
have already built schools, houses, and parks. Since
plastics have no place in the environment, the
move to repurpose them into literal building blocks
is a wise solution.
The story started in the Philippines when two
different organizations came up with the same idea
of stuffing plastic bottles with plastics. Circle Hostel
co-founder Ziggie Gonzales was inspired by the
idea online and proceeded to launch The Plastic
Solution, which is an environmental initiative and a
challenge to put trash to good use. Starting with
themselves, they have used eco-bricks on their
hostel chain in Zambales, La Union, and Baler.
In Northern Luzon, from whom Gonzales took
inspiration from, is where ecobricks.org was
started by founder Russell Maier. Living in the
Cordilleras, he witnessed just how much plastic is
being dumped in the mountains that spoiled the
rivers. Rehashing the idea of stuffing plastic bottles
with sand to make bricks, he used plastics instead
and found out that there was no difference. If
anything, it was even a better brick: reusable and
would last forever.
To start making an eco-brick, one would need
washed and dried plastic wastes, a plastic bottle,
scissors, and a stick that can fit through the mouth
of the bottle. Cut the soft plastics into bigger pieces
and the hard plastics into small pieces. Start with
the soft plastic at the bottom and fill with the cut-
up plastics. Pack the bottle using the stick making
sure that it is compact and meets the minimum
weight requirement, which is the bottle volume
times 0.35.
After packing your eco-bricks, you can bring them
to drop-off points available around Manila. To both
lessen your trash and contribute to the community,
why not start living with fewer plastics. With your
unavoidable plastics, stuff them into a brick and
help build the next classroom. The road to a waste-
free planet starts with the small things.
Source: http://primer.com.ph/business/2018/08/04/ecobricks-transforms-
plastic-waste-to-building-blocks/