ECOBRICK is more than just a new buzzword in environmentally-conscious circles.
This innovative idea is a means to put non-recyclable household waste to good use and reduce litter in landfills and the ocean.
An eco-brick is a two-litre plastic cool-drink bottle stuffed with non-recyclable plastic. It is used to make various items from furniture and vegetable beds to walls and even houses.
Shaun Callaghan is paying carguards and the unemployed R10 for every ecobrick they bring in to any of his three drop-off points. Through these collections, he plans to build walls and runs at Amanzimtoti SPCA and a bird hide along Amanzimtoti River.
“I’m receiving about 10 bricks every day, and at R10 a brick, it is costing quite a bit,” he said. “If anyone wants to make a donation towards this initiative, either donate ecobricks or give a cash donation, whereby say R100 would cover 10 ecobricks and so on, it would be welcomed.”
Callaghan’s current drop-off points are Secret Corner in Athlone Park near the Hot Rock Cafe, Spy Shop in Toti Centre above Woolworths and Produce Direct Farmers Market on Main Road, Doonside.
Read also: Recycled plastic boom to aid river litter fight
The pro-active local has also created a website, www.plastics4change.co.za, which he uses to raise awareness about ecobricks and his river litter booms, which are also made of two-litre bottles. Readers can find out how to get involved, the difference they’ll make, where drop-off points are and projects both on the go and already tackled.
Ecobricks are growing in popularity throughout the town. Many households have already taken on the challenge and for those who haven’t, here’s exactly how to go about it. Instead of tossing away empty two litre plastic bottles, keep and fill them with plastic until they’re completely solid. While many pages explain that the bottle must be filled with non-recyclable plastic, Callaghan explained that he accepts bottles filled with nearly any type of plastic, as it’s a stuffed bottle of plastic that the environment has been freed of.
No paper (recyclables) or biodegradable waste (fruit peels) should be used in filling the bottle. Use a thin, long stick to compress all the plastic until absolutely no more can be fitted inside. Once you think your ecobrick is full, stand on it. It shouldn’t dent or change shape at all. If it does, continue packing it with plastic. If its shape doesn’t change, you’ve created an ecobrick.
Around the world people are using these bricks to build indoor furniture, gardens, parks and structures. They work to make people increasingly aware and responsible of their plastic. In the average home that recycles what materials they can, one brick will take some one to two months to make.
To find out more about Callaghan’s ecobrick initiative and to get involved, visit www.plastics4change.co.za.
Weighing in on ecobrick pros and cons
Non-profit Clean Surf Project said ecobricks are a means to remove macro-plastics from the environment.
Micro-plastics, however exist in large amounts, working their way into the bodies of animals and humans, which leads to an array of detrimental health problems.
“Ecobricks are a novel idea which temporarily deals with our plastic waste crisis and it’s a great step in the right direction,” explained CSP’s Candice Harding.
“We are all for finding ways to deal with the 4,000 tons of excess plastic waste we produce daily as a nation, and appreciate the purpose behind the idea of ecobricks. They are at the very least preventing the waste contained in the two litre bottles from ending up in the environment and providing a means to prevent our landfills from filling up too rapidly.”
She said CSP has some criticisms based on how it has seen plastic behave over lengthy periods of time.
“Firstly, due to the chemicals used to make plastics, these ecobricks have the potential to photodegrade when exposed to the sun. This means the integrity of the material is compromised and the bottles will eventually become brittle and break up into small pieces of plastic (micro plastics) which are difficult to clean up and are then also not recyclable. The potential for the harmful petrochemicals to leach into the environment is similarly increased.
Another concern, should the bricks be covered as per building projects, is that we are just prolonging the inevitable and creating even bigger problems for future generations to deal with. Most ecobricks are made from PET, which has a lifespan of 300 to 500 years if not exposed to the elements. These are going to remain a problem, regardless of how they are reused.”
Harding believes the best way to deal with the plastic crisis is to stop producing new plastic and to recycle what already exists into new products.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via WhatsApp, send an invite to 061 694 6047
The South Coast Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
