Reusing Plastic Bottles for House Construction

January 28, 2016


One hundred years ago, a Belgian born American, Leo Bakelite discovered plastic.This great discovery came as a beacon light of hope to millions of us. It came as a joyous daybreak as a supplement to many other materials.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that plastic waste is on the rise. The life of human being and marine is sadly crippled by the hazards of plastic waste. One hundred years later, it is depleting the fossil fuels of our planet and the ozone layer.

My article emphasizes the importance that if we reuse all the plastics, which we already have, we need not make a single more.

I had to creatively explore to make the best out of discarded plastic bottles. In one of my projects, I used waste plastic bottles for construction of a green house. Yes, it is hard to think a bottle being used as a brick. But a compacted sand-filled bottle is as strong as a brick, and whatever you can do with clay brick or a cement block, you can do with a bottle too. This technology is called 'Brick Technology'.

All that I used was 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre capacity waste plastic bottles, dry sand, sealant and turf.

Such a plastic green house has a lot of advantages.

These houses are more energy efficient than the clay bricks.

The use of plastic reduces the CO2 emission that happens during the baking of a clay brick in the factories.Hence, it mitigates globalwarming.

These houses once made lasts for 300- 400 years because plastic takes that many years to decompose. That means, it practically does not decompose at all. It is a sustainable material.

The mountains from which the granite is blasted can also be saved too.

My house is 'bioclimatic' in design, which means it is suitable for any type of climate. The sand in the bottle absorbs heat and provides thermal storage. When the air temperature of the room goes below the temperature of the wall, the sand will release the heat and warm the room and the reverse way is also true.

These houses cost only 1/3rd of concrete houses and are 20 times stronger than a wall constructed of concrete blocks. The reduction in the final cost comes from bottles being used as pillars, the walls and the ceiling.

Additionally, they have the capacity to absorb abrupt shock loads. This feature is suitable for earthquake prone zones.

We need about 14,000 bottles to build a two-bed room hall. If all the houses were built of plastic bricks we would obtain social equity and there would be no gap between the rich and the poor.

If this message of ecological house reaches every home and every nation we will be joining hands in building a sustainable future for generations to come.

 

 

Brent Adrial D'Souza
Nine-year-old Brent Adrial DSouza is a Grade 4 student studying in Dubai. He is a potentially talented child having special interest in working towards a greener community.
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Comment on this article

  • anita britto, Auckland / Mangalore

    Mon, Feb 08 2016

    Fabulous article,Dear Brent.

    Brilliant idea - looking forward to hearing more from you.

    All the best to you, young & budding scientist !

  • Fredson Martis , Mangalore /UAE

    Sun, Feb 07 2016

    Well written.... It's a very useful project preferred more in the earthquake prone zones.. Good luck Brent

  • Avina, Karingana/Dubai

    Thu, Feb 04 2016

    Well done dear Brent, amazing initiative from a 9 year old. Hats off to you and your lovely parents for the motivation! We wish you all the best and the Lord's blessings in all your future endeavors!

  • rr,

    Wed, Feb 03 2016

    Nice idea brent. Keep it up. pls see that plastic do not get brittle in hot son.

  • Sonia , Dubai

    Wed, Feb 03 2016

    Very informative article and gives a positive thought for the use of plastics..
    Staying in plastic houses could be a reality in the future.

  • Venus Dsouza, Dubai,UAE

    Tue, Feb 02 2016

    It is said about 50% of the plastic we use is just used once and thrown away.So, if we could put your idea into use we could make this world more environment friendly. Good job Brent.

  • Wilfred Lewis, Thottam India / Dubai

    Mon, Feb 01 2016

    Brilliant ! It is wonderful idea at this small age. I have heard of such ecological houses being constructed in Honduras., Taiwan and Serbia. In India we find it too in Gujarat. By publishing in Daijiworld , you have sowed the seed in the rest of the world, where I am sure it will reap its benefits.All the best.

  • johan dsouza, mangalore,abudhabi.

    Mon, Feb 01 2016

    Good one dear Brent!Keep encouraging.

  • Reusing plastic bottles for house construction , Jason

    Sat, Jan 30 2016

    Dear Brent,
    Wow it is a nice article,good vision,god bless you.

  • Evans Christopher Sumitra, UDUPI/NEW YORK,USA.

    Sat, Jan 30 2016

    Good article by Brent Adrial D'Souza. At this age you have brilliant and sensible ideas. Reusing plastic bottles for house construction is OK but there are some disadvantages.

  • Nancy, Belman

    Fri, Jan 29 2016

    Constructing house seems to be ok. But How about foundation of the house? If more thought given on this in future plastic bottle houses will be built.

    All the best beta..

  • jagdish, Mumbai, UAE

    Fri, Jan 29 2016

    Good thought, What about the safety & Security, Fire, Burglers etc

  • Prinson, Kallianpur/Doha- Qatar

    Fri, Jan 29 2016

    Well done Brent. nice article


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