GlobalSpa
12-Jul-2019
Credits: Picasa, x-default
Did you know that Ecobricks are the new sustainability trend that can help you make the most out of your plastic waste? Ecobricking, today’s new sustainable living phenomenon, is an intelligent approach towards using plastic waste for a good cause. Susanna Heisse, the founder of the Global Ecobrick Alliance, started this movement in Guatemala, after witnessing the excessive waste surrounding at one of Guatemala’s biggest lakes, Lake Aitilán. Heisse got the idea to use this waste to its full potential and thus, created the Ecobrick. Ecobricks take disposable plastics that would otherwise be thrown away and uses them as a material for construction. Plastic waste is very hard to get rid of, and therefore typically finds its way into landfills, the ocean, etc. Often times, in efforts to dispose of plastic, people will incinerate their waste. This, however, leads to dangerous toxic chemicals being released into the atmosphere. Ecobricking, however, protects the environment from the dangerous consequences of plastic waste. Considering that plastic can take over a thousand years to fully decompose, Ecobricks are able to remove the plastic from biosphere and use its durability as an advantage to build infrastructure. They are used to build the foundation of walls and once a wooden frame for the infrastructure has been built, a chicken wire net is laid over top the frame. After this, the Ecobricks just need to be attached to the wire and cemented down to create a functional wall. In impoverished communities, this method is used to build schools, homes and more. The NGO ‘Hug It Forward,’ has already built 305 classrooms using Ecobricks! Anyone can make an Ecobrick; all that’s needed is, a plastic bottle (of any size, though larger ones are a bit more difficult to make), a wooden stick, and dry plastic waste. In essence, all you have to do is take the dry plastic waste and push it into the plastic bottle, using the stick to compress the plastic and make sure it is all tightly packed. Continue this process until the brick is full. The brick’s final weight should be at least the bottle’s volume multiplied by one third. Once the Ecobrick is made, it can be donated to one of many Ecobrick drop offs all over the world. Look here to find a drop-off close to you: https://www.ecobricks.org/dropoff/
Credits: © Tony Allison
Further than just a material for construction, Ecobricks promote a sustainable mindset, showing how to make the most out of waste. Today, products are made, used, and thrown away. Reusing waste, however, follows the circular living philosophy. Instead of being thrown away, the plastic waste is made into another product to be used. This cycle can be repeated endlessly, protecting the environment from the consequences of the shortsighted, linear mindset of make, use, throw away. No Plastic July is the perfect time to try your hand at this environmentally friendly practice which encourages minimizing waste and maximizing the usage of product.
