In an innovative concept ideated in 2014 by Patrick San Francesco, Chairman of Samarpan Foundation, the waste PET bottle has been turned into an eco-construction material replacing bricks with plastic bottles. “If something is tiringly invincible and doesn’t degrade, why not exploit its very invincibility and non-degradability? Once we open our minds to the idea of using something for anything, the possibilities are endless.”
A normal brick which requires raw material and a process in its making, the plastic bottle brick requires just waste plastic bottles which is available in abundance and filling material such as mud, fly ash or sand depending upon the availability. “When I first spoke about this to people, they laughed at me. They said, plastic bottles can never be joined together with each other, they will slide off… The first building project with mudfilled plastic bottles was a schoolroom in Delhi, and it was a huge instant success. The children in the school gave me the best feedback, they said that it was the coolest room in summer and the warmest in winter,” avers Patrick.
The eco-construction technology using plastic bottle has some major advantages:
• It is available in plenty
• It is an effective thermal insulation
• It reduces energy consumption
• It provides employment opportunities
• It reduces burden on landfills “PET bottles are lightweight, easily transportable and are available everywhere right on the roads, unlike conventional baked bricks which require good soil and a kiln.
“The making of the plastic bottle brick could also be developed into a cottage industry providing livelihood to many. “Since every bottle that is filled and packed is paid for, it is a great way to empower the old and infirm labour looking for their economic independence,” he adds.
Plastic Bottles filled with mud or sand to be used for construction by Samarpan Foundation
The waste PET bottles are collected, manually sorted by size and compactly filled mud, fly ash or sand and sealed. “A foundation trench is dug as per the load-bearing capacity of the soil on site. A base of PCC is laid in the foundation trench and then the packed bottles are placed inside at twice the width of the wall, up to ground level. The cement mortar slurry is poured on top. Cement mortar joins the bottles together. Plastic bottles are then stacked to form walls.”
[box type=”shadow” ]For a region of the world where money tends to be scarce, the bottle houses are estimated to cost 1/3 of a house made of concrete and bricks. Around 10,000 bottles are required for a 250sqft building. Also, the structure is adaptable with bricks and stones along with fish net.[/box]
An average 10’x10’ room built with plastic bottles would require around 9,000 to 10,000 bottles. The bottles are usually procured from scrap or some hotel chains or water bottle companies, depending on the region.
These filled bottles along with the concrete cement is layered in such a way that it builds a strong foundation. Concrete being a strong binding agent, holds the pet bottles together and thus, makes the building durable and strong. The fishnet brings the ‘bricks’ and the concrete together, providing a base for such a binding. Interestingly, a fish net is replacing steel!
The prototype built in Chennai was tested for demolition. While the demolition company on an average takes about 20 minutes to pull down a 10’x10′ building, it took them over four hours to demolish the bottle structure. Standard earthquakeresistance tests that were conducted in CSIR, Taramani, reported that this could withstand till a scale of 9.8 Richter!
It is also possible to build a twostorey structure, as demonstrated by the maternity hospital erected in Malawi, Africa.
Using Nylon fishing net and plastic bottles, can address two key issues
Nylon fish nets cost only five per cent of the construction materials. This makes these buildings approachable for people with lower means. “India faces a housing shortfall of 19 million dwelling units. By using these PET bottles and fish net, one gets to build sustainable and earthquake resistant homes that reduce carbon footprint and also give rise to cottage industry by giving employment opportunities to the old and infirm.”
These low cost buildings make it easier for an investment on making many infrastructures available to the people in rural areas. Also to mention that such innovation can be used in many places across the country to reduce on waste and carbon emissions that are generated during baking the bricks. The ecoconstruction technology has laid the foundation to a better way of making hospitals, health and education centers, community kitchens and homes across the world. This could revolutionize the concept of make dwelling available to all.