Make an eco-brick and save the environment
Eco-bricks can be used to build houses, classrooms and make furniture.
Most households have an eco-brick somewhere around their house ready to be made and utilised.
An eco-brick is a two-litre plastic bottle that is densely packed with used and cleaned plastic that is not recyclable. The plastic is stuffed into the bottle and compressed until the bottle is solid enough to be used as a brick.
Diana Musara, the director of non-profit organisations Early Touch Foundation and Khensani’s Collection said, “Plastic contributes to plastic pollution in our environment which contributes to global warming, by repurposing plastic into eco-bricks you avoid carbon emissions which contribute to global warming.”
According to Musara, eco-bricks can be used to build classrooms and houses, and replace shacks with eco-brick houses. They could also be used to make furniture and be used for vegetable garden edging.
Zama Ngomane of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots, a non-profit organisation that deals with environmental, animal and social issues said a well-made eco-brick should not dent and that since eco-bricks were aimed at reducing plastic, paper should not be used because it broke down and compromised the integrity of the eco-brick.
“All plastic and Styrofoam should be clean and dry, you can rinse the bags or polystyrene in a dishwasher,” said Ngomane.
Here are some tips from Ngomane on how to make an eco-brick.
- Find a two-litre plastic bottle, make sure it’s clean and dry.
- Collect non-recyclable materials to fill the bottle and make sure all materials are clean and dry. Don’t use, glass, metal, paper or biodegradable material.
- Stuff the plastic filling in the bottle using a stick or the back of a wooden spoon to compress them. The materials in your bottle should be packed tightly so that it is firm and sturdy.
- Once your bottle is full, screw on the cap and test it. Try to squash the bottle with your foot, if it dents it is not ready and you should keep filling and compressing it more.
- Your eco-brick should weigh at least 500g or more.
You can drop off your eco-bricks in Bonaero Park, Greenstone Shopping Centre, Bryanston, Diepsloot, and Kyalami. For more information on these details contact Ngomane on 071 897 2913 or Musara on 082 900 2329.
