BUILDING A PLAN FOR PLASTIC

Here you can find several open-source, affordable and effective solutions in the quest to deal responsibly with plastic. Currently there are many technologies being developed and implemented around the world, but most of them remain inaccessible to the public due to patents or because they are prohibitively expensive. Our mission is to make these more accessible solutions / technologies readily available to the world so that every village, neighborhood or municipality can start to utilize plastic as a valuable resource, and furthermore ensure that this plastic does not wind up in the biosphere. With a bit of work and dedication, all of the plastics “produced” in any given area can be utilized in creative ways to build infrastructure and community.

ECOBRICKS

Ecobricks are plastic bottles (or milk cartons), densely stuffed full of plastics and other synthetic materials. All materials must be clean and dry to prevent any mold or bacterial growth. Ecobricks can be used to make modular furniture, fill and insulate wall cavities, or displace the need for brick or concrete block in masonry applications. One of our favorite ways to use Ecobricks is to tap them into pallets to create ready-to-plaster wall panels that can be used in post and beam structures.

ECOBALES
(UBUNTU-BLOX)

Ecobales are compressed bales of bagged plastics, that can be used as a substitute for thicker insulation materials or straw bales in structures. Ecobales are made of mixed plastic, plastic bags or styrofoam and compressed and baled with simple wooden or metal machines which can be fabricated to custom sizes. As with Ecobricks, all materials in Ecobales should be clean and dry.

Open-source solutions are available to upcycle plastics that would otherwise end up in a landfill, fire, river, ocean, or in the belly of your most favorite animal. By utilizing and upcycling common plastics into local long-term resources, we can prevent the harm done by these materials when they are released on the wild or shuffled through ineffective “recycling” charades, as well as save the (great) expense of harvesting virgin materials.