Recycled Plastic – New Trend in Home Building?

A beautiful home built by Bolivian lawyer turned architect Ingrid Vaca Diez with plastic bottles and recycled materials – Photo Courtesy: Tree Hugger

As more advanced methods of construction are developed, we witness how these innovations eventually result into creating modern housing designs. Our homes today have become representative of individual preferences and perspectives, with homeowners taking the initiative to be more involved in the building process.

Earth-friendly alternatives

In the current society, we are regularly reminded of society’s appeal for sustainable alternatives in reducing the use of materials that harm the environment. This is the primary reason that the past few years have been crucial for developers, as they look to find ways of accommodating the penchant for greener options and methods. The answer came in the form of a household product we basically just ignore every day.

Recycled plastic is readily available anywhere because it’s still generally considered as waste, but it has actually attracted the attention of some builders, including Affresol. They managed to come up with material that is stronger than concrete and is better at insulating the walls from extreme temperatures.

Ground and fused

If you look at the items in your house, you’ll notice that most of them are made of plastic anyways. Plastic chairs, spoons and bottles can all be collected for creating a new by-product for use in construction. After cleaning the liquid and residue, the plastic is treated by grinding it in a facility, which is then fused with other compounds. This new material is then molded and used the same way as concrete.

Affordable housing

Architectural firm Traverso-Vighy of Italy has designed this home using 40,000 recycled plastic bottles for insulation!

For some residents, the idea of building a house from the ground up is terribly expensive and pointless. They cite the absurd costs involved, in addition to the permits needed just to get the project going. With recycled plastic, the computed amount for construction dramatically decreases, and there is more flexibility to focus on other aspects of the house such as wiring and piping. Just a few months ago, builders in Italy were able to utilize the use of 40,000 plastic bottles to design a fully functional house with other energy saving features such as LED lights.

Key benefits

A family in Hayesville, North Carolina, USA, constructing their ‘Cherokee Winter Lodge’ with the help of recycled plastic. They explain, “We wove river cane between the upright supports to make the foundation for the mud daub we would put on later. We had gotten the crossbeams and tar sheeting up to make the roof. Later we will put on “thatch” made from recycled plastic.” Photo & Info: Moo Cow

In building houses, the clear advantage of using recyclable material is the huge amount of savings you can obtain. The problem of housing shortage in some areas of the world may be addressed sometime in the future, and recycled plastic can be the first step in doing so.

As mentioned, recycled plastic conforms to the vision of greener living initiatives. Since the ensuing process results in better circulation and controlled transfer of heat, there may not be a need to invest in air conditioning units. It frees you from worrying about cold winter nights and unbearably hot summer noons.

What does this mean for firms that offer house and land packages? Well it’s actually good news for both builders and clients, since recycled plastic reduces costs that could have gone to suppliers of raw materials. The technology hasn’t been perfected yet but the fact that it’s gaining mileage in news outlets means people are interested and willing to consider investing.