Looking to make the move to zero-waste living but not ready to give up on all your store-bought items? EcoBricking is definitely the answer. This is the practice of compressing all of your non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste into a plastic bottle, and turning that bottle into a building block for something.
The environmentally conscious are using them to build green buildings all over the world. EcoBricks are also being to make affordable housing in rural or poor areas. Additionally, clever and crafty people are using them to create furniture, playgrounds and so much more.
It’s a great movement to be involved with because you are helping the planet and you don’t have to feel guilty about the single-use plastic in your takeaway coffee. The lid can be popped into your EcoBrick rather than sitting for thousands of years in a rubbish tip or in the ocean, polluting the land. It really is turning something that most see as a negative into something that will make the world a better place.
Sort Your Waste
It’s the same as sorting your recycling out from your regular waste, and it’s as easy as placing eSports bets online. You just take things one step further and sort out your non-recyclable plastics and other items into a new pile. Once you get going, you’ll be amazed at how little ends up going in your regular rubbish bin and off to the tip once a week.
The next step is to clean and dry off your EcoBrick waste. If the container, bag or wrapper housed food, it’s important to get rid of all biodegradable elements from it. You must then lay it out or hang it up to dry. If there is any moisture left on the item when it goes into the EcoBrick, you may see microbial growth start to happen inside over time. This can lead to the bottle bloating, the lid popping off, and a loss of integrity in what the brick was used to build.
Fill Up Your Brick
You’ll need a plastic bottle – it doesn’t matter what size or shape because they can all be used for a variety of different projects. You can go anywhere from 500ml all the way up to 5l. Then you’ll also need a stick of some kind. Just make sure it’s sturdy and won’t break inside the bottle when you apply pressure to the waste you’re tamping down.
Finally, it’s time to start filling. If your bottle has an odd shaped bottom, be careful about how you fill it to begin with and use your stick to manipulate the waste to fill up each section of the base. Then alternate between hard and soft plastics to ensure the brick is packed tightly and the sides are rigid.
Once you’re done, just do a quick online search to find a drop-off point in your area. There are many companies that collect EcoBricks and send them to the right places for use in the world. Alternatively, find some DIY projects and put your filled bottles to use in your own home.