In 2020, National Geographic predicted that 99 million tons of uncontrolled plastic waste will remain in the environment by 2030. On a global scale, countries are still struggling to manage this waste as more than half of it is merely discarded in the environment. Plastic waste can linger in our environment for centuries, pollute the waters, and hurt marine animals.
In response to this global problem, engineers from different parts of the world thought of creative ways to recycle plastic waste into something profitable. But what marketable product can we make from used plastic?
Plastic bricks!
Because plastic is strong, light, durable, moldable and recyclable, engineers perceived it as an ideal material for construction. Many are enthusiastic about this new innovation as it can pave the way for a more sustainable future.
So, What are These Plastic Bricks?
Last month, Nzambi Matee of Kenya made headlines when she was awarded the 2020 United Nations Young Champions of the Earth for turning plastic waste into bricks.
Tired of merely watching plastic waste piling up in Kenya, Matee decided that she needed to do something. She utilized her background as a mechanical engineer to design a product that could turn “trash into cash.” This initiative led her to start her own company, Gjenge Makers.
This company takes plastic waste from manufacturing companies and turns it into pavement bricks that are three times stronger than concrete. Although they have only made pavement bricks so far, they are working on creating construction bricks for buildings.
However, Matee is not the first in the game of making plastic bricks. In 2018, Bamboo House India CEO Prashant Lingam built houses from plastic waste. In an interview with the BBC, Lingam said that it is impossible to stop plastic production, which is why he thinks that finding a way to recycle it is crucial. Similarly, another company from India called Rhino Machines specializes in making construction bricks from plastic waste and foundry dust.
These innovations have converted tens of thousands tons of plastic waste into useful construction material, but are they really a magic fix to the global plastic waste problem?
Pushbacks and Concerns
Despite being marketed as eco-friendly, most plastic bricks are not yet widely used by the construction industry.
This is not without reason. Plastic houses built by Bamboo House India are 25 percent more expensive than conventional brick houses. Consequently, consumers are reluctant to spend more money on a product they could get at a lower price.
Other reasons why plastic houses may not be very favorable are health and safety.
Research suggests that heated or scratched plastic can leach chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to these chemicals can cause diseases such as cancer. Because heat is essential for life, it would be very difficult to avoid using heat inside of the house or receiving heat from the sun. In fact, recent studies suggest cutting back plastic usage to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals. Moreover, due to its flammable property, many people are still hesitant to use plastic products for construction material.
The invention of plastic bricks is derived from the concept of a circular economy and aims to counter today’s throwaway culture. Additionally, it operates under the assumption that plastic production will continue. Questions concering the long-term outcome of plastic bricks still remain. Will this innovation further push the production and consumption of plastic once it can be widely used? Can it be used widely considering the health and safety concerns?
What Next?
Although there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding plastic bricks, we do know that it is not a magic fix. However, that does not mean that all is lost. Plastic bricks can be a temporary solution to manage the current amount of plastic waste we have. The good news is we don’t even have to depend on these companies to turn our plastic into bricks.
If you want to make sure that your plastic waste gets recycled, you can try to make your own ecobrick and be creative with it. Essentially, ecobricks are DIY plastic bottles filled with compacted plastic waste. At the right density, these bricks are sturdy and can be used to build furniture and gardens. The main selling point of ecobricks is that you can make them yourself and it does not cost you any money: all you need is a lot of plastic waste and some effort!
There are many ecobrick tutorials all over the internet and workshops in most parts of the world. To learn more, you can start with these links:
Despite these creative innovations, it is important to note that finding a strategic recycling method does not mean that we can freely use as many plastic products as we want. Considering plastic’s health and safety hazards, the best way to reduce plastic waste is by reducing our consumption of plastic products.
All this to say, buy as little plastic as you can and recycle the rest!
