How can you save the environment in the comfort of your home?
I have got a wonderful and interesting way for you! The ECO- BRICKS!
So, the question is how are we saving our environment through this?
PLASTIC POLLUTION: LANDFILLS AND GLOBAL WARMING
First, let us know about Plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags, and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans. Plastics are inexpensive and durable which makes them very adaptable for different uses, and as a result we humans use plastic a lot!Let us take an example to make it simple to understand, Most of the things we purchase nowadays are packed using plastic. Let's say If each day we generate about 20 plastic packet waste from our house, so, if we only talk about India, 136 crore people each day generates 20 plastic packet waste, so we get 2720 Crores of plastic packets in our landfills!
When plastic is burned or incinerated, toxic gases like dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls are released into the atmosphere. Increasing scientific documentation is demonstrating many dangers arising from plastic degradation. When plastic enters the biosphere it releases toxins, fragments into microplastics, and emits greenhouse gases that interfere with ecological cycles. Increasing scientific documentation is demonstrating many dangers arising from plastic degradation. When plastic enters the biosphere it releases toxins, fragments into microplastics and emits greenhouse gases that interfere with ecological cycles.Increasing scientific documentation is demonstrating many dangers arising from plastic degradation. When plastic enters the biosphere it releases toxins, fragments into microplastics and emits greenhouse gases that interfere with ecological cycles.
When plastic is burned or incinerated, toxic gases like dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls are released into the atmosphere
Increasing scientific documentation is demonstrating many dangers arising from plastic degradation. When plastic enters the biosphere it releases toxins, fragments into microplastics and emits greenhouse gases that interfere with ecological cycles
When plastic is burned or incinerated, toxic gases like dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls are released into the atmosph Now, Due to the chemical structure of plastic, it takes a very long time to degrade, 500 years or more. So the plastic waste accumulates in the landfills and the landfills start to look like a mountain of plastic waste!
This accumulation of plastic waste releases several gases in the atmosphere, majorly methane gas, which is one of the major gases that contribute to global warming.
TWO MAJOR CAUSES OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
According to recent studies, the two major causes of plastic pollution include the PLASTIC WRAPPERS and the PLASTIC BOTTLES. The plastic bottles and the wrappers are mostly made from single-use plastic and we, the consumers, throw the single-use plastic wrappers and bottles in the dustbin, which are collected and transferred to the nearest landfill. The accumulated plastic waste then starts releasing toxins into the environment, And the process continues.
HOW WOULD ECO-BRICKS HELP?
Eco bricks are definitely not a solution to plastic pollution but a way to delay the rate of plastic accumulation in landfills and therefore reduce the plastic pollution in our environment. Let us understand this with an example If you start using our single-use plastic bottles and wrappers to make eco-bricks, therefore the plastic waste that you used to throw in the dustbins would be reduced and the accumulation of plastic waste in the landfills would definitely reduce, which would directly reduce the release of toxins in our environment. Now, if you inform your neighbors about the same, the plastic waste from your whole society would be negligible and therefore make a greater impact on our environment!
How to make Eco bricks at home?
Eco bricks are very easy to make, store and use. All you need is just a little bit of creativity and it's done! Here, I am sharing with you a step by step guide for making an eco brick at your home:-STEP 1- START WITH AN IDEA
You first need to think of an idea.
What are you planning to make with the help of Eco bricks? It can be anything like a side table or maybe a chair or anything you need at your house. Think of different things, Be innovative and creative to make the best use of the eco-bricks
How many plastic bottles would you require for this project? Make an imaginary model of your project in your mind and gather information about the size of the bottles you require for this project.
STEP 2- COLLECT THE WASTE PLASTIC BOTTLES
You need to look for waste plastic bottles in your house ( keep in mind- Don't use the plastic bottles already in use for storage or something else, only use waste plastic bottles). A bottle with hard plastic would work better for your projects. If, in case you don't find enough bottles for your project, look for them in your surroundings, or wait for the bottles in use to get into a dustbin. Start with one bottle if you get only one. Don't buy soft drinks or any other things to get the plastic bottles. The Eco brick should only be made from waste plastic bottles and wrappers.
STEP 3 - COLLECT WASTE PLASTIC WRAPPERS
Start collecting waste plastic wrappers in your house. Keep in mind that the plastic wrappers should be soft enough, that they would get into the little neck of your bottle easily. Start by segregating your plastic from all other materials. Some ecobrickers carry a bottle with them everywhere they go. Others save up their waste plastic in a bin till they have time to get it into the bottle. If there is any food, oil, or dirt on your plastic, be sure to wash it off. Dirty plastic inside an ecobrick will lead to microbiological growth and methane forming inside your ecobrick. It's likewise important that the plastic is dry! Wet and moist plastic will also encourage microbial growth.
STEP 4- GET A STICK READY FOR THE MAGIC
You need a stick with which you will make the plastic disappear! The plastic that you would fill up in your bottle would be pressed towards the bottom using this stick. This would create more space inside the bottle for more plastic waste. The overall density of the bottle would also increase which would increase the life of the ecobrick. The size of the stick depends on the type of bottle you go with. You want a stick with a diameter roughly one-third the width of a standard bottle opening– so about 6mm. You want your stick to be about twice the height of your bottle, with a slightly rounded tip. Avoid sharp-cornered sticks as they can rupture your bottle– and yes, this means you have to start your ecobrick all over again!
STEP 5- ONLY USE WASTE PLASTICS FOR MAKING AN ECOBRICK
The reason we are putting plastic inside a bottle is to secure it– otherwise, it would get loose into the environment and degrade into microplastics and toxins. Also, it makes the ecobrick hard enough to be used in different projects. Stuff like cotton cloth, metal, paper, cardboard, glass, and organic material will not degrade into toxins so there is no need to secure them. Be especially careful not to pack sharp metal or glass into an ecobrick– they can rupture the sides and pose a danger for handling.
STEP 6- START ADDING PLASTIC INTO THE BOTTLE
Start adding plastics into the bottle and press them inside using the stick. Start with a soft plastic as it would take the shape of the bottle and no air gap would be left at the bottom of the bottle. It would be an easy task if you cut the plastic wrappers into small pieces and then insert them inside the bottle. Fill the bottle till its neck. To maximize the density, it’s good to mix soft and then hard plastic. If it’s your first ecobrick, weigh occasionally to make sure you are on track for your target minimum weight.
STEP 7 - WEIGH YOUR ECO BRICK
The weight vs volume of your ecobrick is a good indicator of the quality of your ecobrick. Ecobricks that are solid and strong are densely packed. The full volume is used for plastics and there is no air or spaces inside. The GEA has determined that an ecobrick’s density must be higher than 0.33 g/ml. This means that a 600ml bottle must be above 200 grams and a 1500ml bottle must be above a weight of 500 grams. Experienced ecobrickers tend to regard 0.37 g/ml and above as the range of good ecobricks.Soft ecobricks can compromise structural constructions and will dent easily, which reduces their lifespan. Low-density ecobricks are fire hazards because of the air pockets remaining inside them.
STEP 8- CAP THE BOTTLE
The next step is to cap the bottle when it is almost full of plastic. Keep in mind that the bottle should not be filled till it is overflowing. There should be about 1-2cm between the cap and the plastic inside. The cap (HDPE) is made of a different type of plastic than the bottle (PET) and is the weakest part of the ecobrick. Due to insense pressure the cap will eventually break and will cause damage to the ecobrick
STEP 9- RECORD THE DATA
Recording eco-bricks is key to calculating your overall impact, monitoring quality, and preparing for building projects.
By recording the weight, you can tally up all your ecobricks and calculate the total plastic you have kept out of the environment. By recording name and weight you enable quality accountability. By maintaining a record of how many eco-bricks you have completed, you’ll know when you're ready to move to the building stage of your project. By recording the date, you let people tomorrow know that we cared today about their world.
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
Once you have enough Ecobricks you’re ready to build. There are five main techniques for building with bottles and ecobricks. The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun Ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules for horizontal building and Dieleman Lego modules for vertical building. With modules you can create benches, table, chairs, structures and more. Perhaps the best use for Ecobricks is building community green spaces. Using local earth and ecobricks you and your community can build beautiful spaces that enrich the local environment.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
Start collecting waste plastic wrappers in your house. Keep in mind that the plastic wrappers should be soft enough, that they would get into the little neck of your bottle easily. Start by segregating your plastic from all other materials. Some ecobrickers carry a bottle with them everywhere they go. Others save up their waste plastic in a bin till they have time to get it into the bottle. If there is any food, oil, or dirt on your plastic, be sure to wash it off. Dirty plastic inside an ecobrick will lead to microbiological growth and methane forming inside your ecobrick. It's likewise important that the plastic is dry! Wet and moist plastic will also encourage microbial growth.
STEP 4- GET A STICK READY FOR THE MAGIC
You need a stick with which you will make the plastic disappear! The plastic that you would fill up in your bottle would be pressed towards the bottom using this stick. This would create more space inside the bottle for more plastic waste. The overall density of the bottle would also increase which would increase the life of the ecobrick. The size of the stick depends on the type of bottle you go with. You want a stick with a diameter roughly one-third the width of a standard bottle opening– so about 6mm. You want your stick to be about twice the height of your bottle, with a slightly rounded tip. Avoid sharp-cornered sticks as they can rupture your bottle– and yes, this means you have to start your ecobrick all over again!
You need a stick with which you will make the plastic disappear! The plastic that you would fill up in your bottle would be pressed towards the bottom using this stick. This would create more space inside the bottle for more plastic waste. The overall density of the bottle would also increase which would increase the life of the ecobrick.
STEP 5- ONLY USE WASTE PLASTICS FOR MAKING AN ECOBRICK
The reason we are putting plastic inside a bottle is to secure it– otherwise, it would get loose into the environment and degrade into microplastics and toxins. Also, it makes the ecobrick hard enough to be used in different projects. Stuff like cotton cloth, metal, paper, cardboard, glass, and organic material will not degrade into toxins so there is no need to secure them. Be especially careful not to pack sharp metal or glass into an ecobrick– they can rupture the sides and pose a danger for handling.
STEP 6- START ADDING PLASTIC INTO THE BOTTLE
Start adding plastics into the bottle and press them inside using the stick. Start with a soft plastic as it would take the shape of the bottle and no air gap would be left at the bottom of the bottle. It would be an easy task if you cut the plastic wrappers into small pieces and then insert them inside the bottle. Fill the bottle till its neck. To maximize the density, it’s good to mix soft and then hard plastic. If it’s your first ecobrick, weigh occasionally to make sure you are on track for your target minimum weight.
STEP 7 - WEIGH YOUR ECO BRICK
The weight vs volume of your ecobrick is a good indicator of the quality of your ecobrick. Ecobricks that are solid and strong are densely packed. The full volume is used for plastics and there is no air or spaces inside. The GEA has determined that an ecobrick’s density must be higher than 0.33 g/ml. This means that a 600ml bottle must be above 200 grams and a 1500ml bottle must be above a weight of 500 grams. Experienced ecobrickers tend to regard 0.37 g/ml and above as the range of good ecobricks.Soft ecobricks can compromise structural constructions and will dent easily, which reduces their lifespan. Low-density ecobricks are fire hazards because of the air pockets remaining inside them.
STEP 8- CAP THE BOTTLE
The next step is to cap the bottle when it is almost full of plastic. Keep in mind that the bottle should not be filled till it is overflowing. There should be about 1-2cm between the cap and the plastic inside. The cap (HDPE) is made of a different type of plastic than the bottle (PET) and is the weakest part of the ecobrick. Due to insense pressure the cap will eventually break and will cause damage to the ecobrick
STEP 9- RECORD THE DATA
Recording eco-bricks is key to calculating your overall impact, monitoring quality, and preparing for building projects.
By recording the weight, you can tally up all your ecobricks and calculate the total plastic you have kept out of the environment. By recording name and weight you enable quality accountability. By maintaining a record of how many eco-bricks you have completed, you’ll know when you're ready to move to the building stage of your project. By recording the date, you let people tomorrow know that we cared today about their world.
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
Once you have enough Ecobricks you’re ready to build. There are five main techniques for building with bottles and ecobricks. The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun Ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules for horizontal building and Dieleman Lego modules for vertical building. With modules you can create benches, table, chairs, structures and more. Perhaps the best use for Ecobricks is building community green spaces. Using local earth and ecobricks you and your community can build beautiful spaces that enrich the local environment.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
The reason we are putting plastic inside a bottle is to secure it– otherwise, it would get loose into the environment and degrade into microplastics and toxins. Also, it makes the ecobrick hard enough to be used in different projects.
Start adding plastics into the bottle and press them inside using the stick. Start with a soft plastic as it would take the shape of the bottle and no air gap would be left at the bottom of the bottle. It would be an easy task if you cut the plastic wrappers into small pieces and then insert them inside the bottle. Fill the bottle till its neck. To maximize the density, it’s good to mix soft and then hard plastic. If it’s your first ecobrick, weigh occasionally to make sure you are on track for your target minimum weight.
STEP 7 - WEIGH YOUR ECO BRICK
The weight vs volume of your ecobrick is a good indicator of the quality of your ecobrick. Ecobricks that are solid and strong are densely packed. The full volume is used for plastics and there is no air or spaces inside. The GEA has determined that an ecobrick’s density must be higher than 0.33 g/ml. This means that a 600ml bottle must be above 200 grams and a 1500ml bottle must be above a weight of 500 grams. Experienced ecobrickers tend to regard 0.37 g/ml and above as the range of good ecobricks.Soft ecobricks can compromise structural constructions and will dent easily, which reduces their lifespan. Low-density ecobricks are fire hazards because of the air pockets remaining inside them.
STEP 8- CAP THE BOTTLE
The next step is to cap the bottle when it is almost full of plastic. Keep in mind that the bottle should not be filled till it is overflowing. There should be about 1-2cm between the cap and the plastic inside. The cap (HDPE) is made of a different type of plastic than the bottle (PET) and is the weakest part of the ecobrick. Due to insense pressure the cap will eventually break and will cause damage to the ecobrick
STEP 9- RECORD THE DATA
Recording eco-bricks is key to calculating your overall impact, monitoring quality, and preparing for building projects.
By recording the weight, you can tally up all your ecobricks and calculate the total plastic you have kept out of the environment. By recording name and weight you enable quality accountability. By maintaining a record of how many eco-bricks you have completed, you’ll know when you're ready to move to the building stage of your project. By recording the date, you let people tomorrow know that we cared today about their world.
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
Once you have enough Ecobricks you’re ready to build. There are five main techniques for building with bottles and ecobricks. The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun Ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules for horizontal building and Dieleman Lego modules for vertical building. With modules you can create benches, table, chairs, structures and more. Perhaps the best use for Ecobricks is building community green spaces. Using local earth and ecobricks you and your community can build beautiful spaces that enrich the local environment.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
The weight vs volume of your ecobrick is a good indicator of the quality of your ecobrick. Ecobricks that are solid and strong are densely packed. The full volume is used for plastics and there is no air or spaces inside. The GEA has determined that an ecobrick’s density must be higher than 0.33 g/ml. This means that a 600ml bottle must be above 200 grams and a 1500ml bottle must be above a weight of 500 grams. Experienced ecobrickers tend to regard 0.37 g/ml and above as the range of good ecobricks.
The next step is to cap the bottle when it is almost full of plastic. Keep in mind that the bottle should not be filled till it is overflowing. There should be about 1-2cm between the cap and the plastic inside. The cap (HDPE) is made of a different type of plastic than the bottle (PET) and is the weakest part of the ecobrick. Due to insense pressure the cap will eventually break and will cause damage to the ecobrick
STEP 9- RECORD THE DATA
Recording eco-bricks is key to calculating your overall impact, monitoring quality, and preparing for building projects.
By recording the weight, you can tally up all your ecobricks and calculate the total plastic you have kept out of the environment. By recording name and weight you enable quality accountability. By maintaining a record of how many eco-bricks you have completed, you’ll know when you're ready to move to the building stage of your project. By recording the date, you let people tomorrow know that we cared today about their world.
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
Once you have enough Ecobricks you’re ready to build. There are five main techniques for building with bottles and ecobricks. The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun Ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules for horizontal building and Dieleman Lego modules for vertical building. With modules you can create benches, table, chairs, structures and more. Perhaps the best use for Ecobricks is building community green spaces. Using local earth and ecobricks you and your community can build beautiful spaces that enrich the local environment.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
Recording eco-bricks is key to calculating your overall impact, monitoring quality, and preparing for building projects.
By recording the weight, you can tally up all your ecobricks and calculate the total plastic you have kept out of the environment. By recording name and weight you enable quality accountability. By maintaining a record of how many eco-bricks you have completed, you’ll know when you're ready to move to the building stage of your project. By recording the date, you let people tomorrow know that we cared today about their world.
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
STEP 10- STORE AND BUILD
Once you have enough Ecobricks you’re ready to build. There are five main techniques for building with bottles and ecobricks. The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun Ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules for horizontal building and Dieleman Lego modules for vertical building. With modules you can create benches, table, chairs, structures and more. Perhaps the best use for Ecobricks is building community green spaces. Using local earth and ecobricks you and your community can build beautiful spaces that enrich the local environment.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
So,let us start this journey of ecobricking together and make this planet a better place to live.
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