Plastic production is a HUGE problem, and it is increasing exponentially (by 448 million tons since 2015!) (nationalgeographic.com). In a world that produces so much plastic, it is nearly impossible to avoid. Unrecyclable plastics still end up in our homes sometimes, no matter how hard we try to go plastic-free. Don’t worry, there’s a solution: EcoBricking!
The History of Ecobricking
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Guatemala was struggling with an overabundance of plastic due to insufficient waste infrastructure.
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Citizens of Guatemala created Ecobricking to collect excess plastic and use it for building (natracare.com).
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Environmental activist Susanna Heisse created the first construction system with Ecobricks in 2003 (refash.in)
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Soon after, other third-world countries caught on. It’s time for the developed worth to catch on!
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Why Eco-Brick?
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Plastic has many good properties; however, it contaminated ecosystems when it goes to waste.
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Instead of simply throwing plastic “away” we should put it to use
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Plastic is extremely durable, therefore it is a great building tool.
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Ecobricks put plastics to use instead of allowing them to contaminate our biosphere!
How to Ecobrick!
Ecobricking is simple! ecobricks.org
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Step 1: Save, separate, clean, and dry your plastics.
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Plastic must be clean and dry to avoid microbial growth in your brick.
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Step 2: Choose a bottle.
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Make sure its shape is consistent with what you want to build!
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Be sure that your bottle is easy to come by. You don’t want to have to purchase a drink solely for a brick.
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Step 3: Find a good packing stick!
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A sturdy stick that fits into the top of your bottle will ensure that your plastic is packed tightly. Leave no empty space in the bottle!
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Step 4: Ensure that no metals, glass, paper, or biodegradables go into your ecobrick.
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These materials can be disposed of more safely than plastic.
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Step 5: Pack your bottle tight!
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Be sure there is little to no empty space in the bottle, and that it is dense as a real brick!
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To ensure that your bottle is dense enough, weigh it.
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Minimum weight=bottle volume(ml)*0.33
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Step 6: Cap it and Log!
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Leave 1-2 cm between the cap and the top of your capped plastic.
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You can calculate your overall impact by logging your brick on the GoBrik App.
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