Pinetown nonagenarian builds 400 ecobricks
Avis Goundies (98) has 100 which she needs to donate to someone who is really in need of them.
WHAT started as a simple request to help keep her grandmother busy has turned into a daily environmental project for 98-year-old Avis Goundies.
Four years ago Goundies’ grandchild was asked to make ecobricks as part of the school project.
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She asked her grandmother to assist her so that she can have something to keep her busy.
Goundie, who turned 98 on Thursday, 12 November, now sits comfortably in the lounge and make ecobricks almost the whole day and according to her, she loves it.
Ecobricks are plastic bottles packed tightly with clean and dry, non-biodegradable waste. These bottles can then be used as building materials to create insulative structures and colourful furniture.
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Goundie cuts all the material which she get from family, neighbours and friends. Even though she is partially blind, she cuts the material into strips and stuffs it into the bottle as it needs to weigh 500 grams or more.
“All these plastics could have ended up in the river affecting fish and other animals who are suffering and dying,” she said.
The ecobricks were taken to St Anne’s School and when Goundie moved from PMB to Pinetown, her grandchildren took them to their school, St Benedict School.
Both schools intend on using them for a good cause or distribute them to people who really need them.
Over the years, Goundie has made more than 400 ecobricks and has 100 which she needs to donate to someone who is really in need of them.
St Benedict’s head of primary school, Gillian Rayner said they started creating ecobricks as an initiative of their foundation phase Enviro Club.
“The Grade 1 and 2 learners would take 2lt plastic bottles and walk around at break time or during Enviro Club sessions collecting litter and placing the litter into the bottles.
“We then used them as a ‘fence’ to protect our veggie garden. We also sent some down to a school in Ixopo. Unfortunately with Covid-19 we have not been that active this year but will hopefully continue the project again in the new year,” she said.
Anyone who requires the ecobricks can contact Lyn on 031 701 8436.
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