Transforming Plastic into Houses

                   Figure 1. Plastic trash could offer a sustainable construction for the houses of the future (Image credit: SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images)

It's unbelievable that tons of trash are being thrown away daily and that nothing can be done with it. According with Laurie Winkless, in Bogota, 700 tons of plastic are being discarded daily and only 100 tons can be recycled (2016). The fact of wasting too much plastic in a day made Oscar Mendez, an architect from Bogota, to start recycling plastic and rubber into materials to build houses. The idea started from the necessity of reducing the environmental impact of the plastic. From the idea of contributing to the environment, he started to collect different types of plastic across the country with the help of students and communities that were interested. The houses that are being built are 40 m2 and divided into two bedrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen. The house can be built in five days by four people and the price is $5,200 dollars. The materials used make these houses fireproof, waterproof, and earthquake-resistance. Such project of using plastic to build houses is not only benefiting the company in charge but citizens by having an opportunity to have their own house. The most important benefit in the situation is that this solution, constructing houses from recycled plastic, is causing a positive impact on the environment and hopefully this idea can be adopted from other countries (Winkless, 2016). 

Reference

Winkless, Laurie. 2016. These Houses Are Built With Blocks Made From Waste Plastic. Forbes. 9 Sept. 2016. Web.