Ecobricks & Why They Are Useful

Have you heard of ecobricks? This is an initiative that’s gaining serious traction and is a project everyone can do at home. It’s a great way of repurposing your old single use plastics into a sturdy building material and removes the need for the recycling process, which can be a big drain on resources.

So what is an ecobrick?

An ecobrick is a plastic bottle filled with clean dry plastic. From film food packages and bottle seals, to crisp packets and Styrofoam packing, this is all stuffed into the plastic bottle and jabbed down tight with a stick until the bottle is dense and solid. Once filled these can be dropped off at selected locations, or used for community building projects.

Why should I make one?

It’s a way to repurpose plastic and reduce the need for new virgin materials in the building process. Making ecobricks is also a fun project to do with your kids. While collecting wrappers and other bits of plastic to stuff inside your bottle, it can help raise awareness of their day-to-day use of plastics and how quickly it mounts up!

Things to bear in mind

The used plastic that you pack inside your bottle needs to be clean and dry. You also need to make sure none of it is biodegradable or compostable. This is because any organic matter left in the bottle might break down and decay, which can affect the structural integrity of the finished ecobrick. 

Ecobricks also need to be packed to a certain density – around 0.3g per ml. So a 330ml drinks bottle should have a finished, packed weight of about 110g, and a 1 litre bottle should have a weight of around 330g.

What do I do with my ecobricks?

Ecobricks are being used for all kinds of projects and the potential for them being used in commercial building is constantly being explored. There are plenty of drop off points in the UK and you can find your nearest one by either joining the Ecobricks UK Facebook group or visiting the ecobricks.org drop-off and exchange page. We have lots near us 🙌🏻

How ecobricks are being used

In the UK, ecobricks are mainly being used for small home, school and community creations such as walls, sculptures and furniture. However, ecobricks are being used as a significant building resource in other countries and have been used in the construction of homes and schools.

Take one minute to watch this brilliant vid - not just about Ecobricks but a perfect summation of the plastic pollution problem 💚