How Recycled Plastic Bottles Are Building Homes
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2025
- Conceptos Plásticos is the union of two passions-helping the environment and creating products that can benefit vulnerable populations. With almost 600 tons of plastic waste being thrown away in a landfill each day in Bogotá, Colombia, Oscar Mendez knew that something had to be done. That’s when the idea of Conceptos Plásticos was born. The company uses recycled plastic to build homes for impoverished communities throughout the city, while also teaching the importance of recycling and sustainability. As plastic’s characteristics make it a hard substance to degrade, the houses can last hundreds of years, changing the very fabric of the communities it helps.
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This makes so much sense. Plastics are a byproduct that broken down make fantastic building materials, especially if combined with other materials. So much goes to landfills which is a waste and harms the environment. Imagine if each home had a means of converting all of their plastics on the spot into building material to be used for 3D printers and being paid by the government because it saves them money in the long run.
And I bet that if we really funded this we could 3D print entire houses
This particular material maybe suitable for building garages, patio and sheds but not for residential use. Vapour (humidity, condensation) issues as well as the formaldehyde, plasticiser, fire retardants and other nasty contaminants you inhale daily in an enclosed environment. You have to remember that dirt is cheaper and less labour intensive to source than plastic. An efficient municipal incinerator could turn such plastic mixed with other contaminants into energy (hot water or electricity or both, like Sweden).
My main concern with this is weather stability. Plastic is not conducive to rigid strength and weight, shown by the man picking up the brick easily. What if a strong wind storm comes, or something like a hurricane. I guess we could use these in non coastal areas with large forests
Yes... Problem is that everyone just does whatever brings money...
@Andrew Lucas agreed. I like where things are headed for using recyclables in construction. It seems this could be better used for smaller scale projects, things like fences, sheds, ect. I saw a video where they were converting recycled milk jugs into park benches, thought that was neat.
Great to hear how recycled bottles is creating homes for people who need it.
Yeah
Cost more than using bricks. Not practical yet.
Plastic is not strong if u punch a wall it will collapse
@@Vincent98987 I challenge you to go punch the wall yourself to see if the wall collapses or you get a broken hand.
@@sudacaenny bruh i lift almost everyday
This is a great idea! But hopefully we will get to the point where we consume much less plastic
EPOCH
You consume the plastic ?? Dude that’s not right..
@@xTyler1997 haha you know what I mean.
I hope we get to the point where we consume the plastic and shit it out into biodegradable fecal matter.
Problem is the time factor to collect so many bottles. This might years when having to build a big house?
Yes but I'm so grateful that someone has come up with a solution to a big problem around the 🌍 I support them on this and glad they posted this video. Was here ✌️ 2/2/23
Exactly! Plastics should be used for thing we want to last long periods of time, not for being disposable. This is a great idea, and I hope they're having a lot of succes, if they can, they should go to other countries too.
Great idea!!! Nothing wrong with plastic grocery bags. The problem comes when they are put where they don't belong. Like dumped in the ocean for whales and fish to die from. But don't buy food that is in plastic containers if you have a choice. Always buy food in GLASS containers.
actually the media, government, and environmental NGOs all put blames on us the innocent consumers who rightly put thrash in the thrash bin. The plastic that you see ended up in the ocean mostly came from the Third World countries where garbage collection service is awful and the Third World mentality where people thought the river is an infinite dumping ground.
blame goes all around. Tons of medical waste was found on East coast beaches and West Coast beaches. Companies that are supposed to burn medical waste are not the third world. The question should be which companies DIDN'T just dump it in the ocean without burning it. The cost of burning it was put in their pockets. You used to be able to eat raw seaweed on the beach. Now its not even safe to go swimming. I can only control what I do with my own personal waste.
but glass is made from sand, which in some cases are needed in the environment, such as places like rivers.
glass bag of chips
chips in aluminum foil are okay. But plastic has negative effects on the human body. Metal containers are generally okay too but don't use tin or lead and of course not mercury. There are certain plastics that are safe with food like mylar. But many plastics are harmful, - especially those used for bottled drinking water. I wish they did have chips available in glass containers that you return to be recycled and used again.
They need to shred the plastic and use pressure to make blocks instead of melting, the fumes are harmful to both the environment and workers. But overall it's a wonderful idea 👍🏻
A complete process would use the gasses to provide the fuel for melting down the plastics .
Kevin Gilbert interesting, but would there be any residuals from burning the fumes?
Not if the burn is hot enough, sweden burns most of its trash, and the emissions are lowered by the high heat the burn is kept at.
Kevin Gilbert The official Sweden website had some info about their recycling and burning plastics. You learn something new everyday, thanks!
Kevin Gilbert Thabks I’ll use this for my country.
The questions I have : what plastics are used ? what are the additives ? I wish I can have the exact ratios so I could make it on my own . The blocks are a beautiful color .
LEGOS FOR ADULTS! I WANT THEM!!
CONCEPTOS PLASTICOS is the name of this wonderful little colombian company!!!
every country should have this kind of company reduce waste save the homeless save the world .Really loves the idea.thanks
for an architect students pov.. that house looks good aswell. small but doesnt look cheap at all. i hope more companies will support and commercialized it all over the world
Much respect to the colombian people.👍👍
Buena idea para los fundamentos. Los paredes de palstico pueden degradar con el sol directo. Madera es mejor de aroma. Bien Suerte a esta empresa con su nuevos productos de futoro !
This is great!
Where can I get your materials. I would like to build a home here in the U.S. using it.
Interesting that the bricks turn out to be bluish-grey. They make the house look even more unique and beautiful😊
I just saw this ad earlier and I loved the idea people should use this more
It was hard to read the subtitles at times, try giving the subtitles an outline.
This is a really great idea, and there is plenty of plastic waste all over. if we can take it and process it like this, turn it from pollution into a resource, recycling rates will soar! And finally a great startup from Colombia and not yet another San Francisco Unicorn
Love the shot across the bow of silicon Valley billion dollar bullshit
Esa es un excelente idea,hacen dos grandes beneficios,muchas felicitaciones por este proyecto,yo me apunto a una de estas casas👏👏
We need more people like this
Good thing they’re using recycled stuff, you could see how clean it keeps the area said no one ever
This is great idea..
Recycling. Wish I can start up one here
we should do that for america.
Except all the spending goes to the military which I can't blame em
And here i thought that Colombia is in America
@@fitrianhidayat Really? lol
@@johntuffield1457 yep
@@fitrianhidayat Oh alright, nothing wrong with that. It's in South America.
This just makes so much sense. I can’t believe we haven’t invested more into technology like this
While I applaud their efforts, my main concern is in a situation of a fire. This was not addressed in the video, but plastics generally burn out toxic fumes. I am torn between the great benefits and the potential hazards.
Loretta Vamperetta with the additives, there is a way to make the plastic fire resistance. So it wouldn’t that much of a liability
I don’t think dealing with fumes are your top priority when there’s a fire in your house.
@@name.placeholder1965 if you're sleeping or you are trapped then the toxic fumes would slow you down or knock u out
@@lorettavamperetta8401 fire creates carbon monoxide which is also toxic, so either way you should get out as fast as possible.
They have addressed this concern in other videos, they use some special additives to slow down the fire.
I am planning on building another pole barn and I want to try to do it with plastic lumber for all the poles and trusses. I like the idea of that masonry style product here as well.
Maravilloso!!!! No veo ese producto en el mercado, quiero construir mi casa con esos bloques.
Thank you for your beautiful efforts to help clean up our waste. 🙏🏽 🫶🏼
What a great idea using the life of plastic decay in a positive way 💖
Excelente!!! Sólo falta que mejoren las condiciones de trabajo de sus operadores, portan cargas sin máquinas que los ayuden, hay mucho que mejorar de ese lado.
Wouldn't this plastic waste house be toxic? Or at the least smelly?
No since all the smell is burnt off, and they make some tables in the US like this, so if it was toxic or smelly, they wouldn't use it
a terephthalic acid smell would be very bad during the manufacture of the product simply due to how they're sourcing plastics. the smell would remain in a limited quantity once used in a product (it'll linger in a new house). simply 'airing' the house would stop some of this. the real problem starts if they're treating the finished plastics with a formaldehyde (the cheapest substance to insure longevity of the new recycled plastic), formaldehyde is known to cause a huge mess when used in such matter in homes (google 'toxic FEMA trailers').
but this is just some 'sexy' commercial, so I have no honest idea of the involvement on how they make this stuff. the concept still looks neat.
TeamRetroWorld well said, I hope there its more Shared Values that business would profit and same time it benefit by helping to address social needs.
Hopefully more R&D can be done in sort of Waste Management to solve the global situation issue.
TeamRetroWorld Thanks I’ll keep this in mind when developing this in my country.
this is a great idea! it could help so many people all over the world! wow
This is great Idea. we need the same plants in the USA, we dump alot of plastic,
Wow thats awesome! Im glad that these people are smart cuz most of us would just wont think about it man this is a nice thing to do for your country keep it up
Best like radio ever! They deserve it.
This is great idea. In south east asia also have problem with housing. The material for building house are to expensive.
I love you. Bravo, nice video. Thank you, hopefully we can do more with plastic as you show. God bless you. Peace
Thanks be to God for yalls healthful service to the community amen!
WONDERFUL...……...GREAT JOB COLUMBIA!!!
It's colombia.
Although I sympathize with all kinds of ‘recycling processes’ I would like to know wether this method is really cost effective or subsidized by state or NGO because in the long run you always have to compete in an open market. Also, if you are depending on this heterogeneous plastic mass how can you guarantee a stable consistent quality with reliable physical properties?
I really hope we use less plastic in the future, but right now the plastic waste is enormous and this is a great way to help with that problem. If that project about the island of plastic and this project unite I think the can solve a love of problems
Why aren’t we doing this everywhere?? Plastic’s qualities are terrible for most recycling, but this is perfect!
just wondering if the recycled plastic bricks don't emit any carcinogenic fume at summer? this concept is good but if i want to use it in my tropical hometown, i am afraid of effect of hot weather, temperature and humidity. this sparks my interest. gonna search for a journal regarding this~!
Fantastic idea. The video glanced over the manufacture process of these plastic bricks. It looked like they melted or burned the plastic which releases quite a bit of toxins in the atmosphere...
Think these blocks are a fantastic idea. Question is in regards to fire safety. In Australia such buildings would be deadly in bush fire zones.
correct me if im wrong, but would this not lead to heavy ammounts of microplastics washing up into their drains?
I know in India, they had a project where they made roads out of recycled plastic, and it was great except for the fact that microplastics end up polluting water supplies and such. Is there something in their blend to prevent this from happenning?
How is this material with insulation?
Does this climate get excessively hot or cold? How would export of materials do in other environments?
This should be worldwide awesome!
Best Documentery Channel Ever :)
Good idea, one man's trash and all that. I am curious about the energy intensity and emissions from manufacturing, off gassing of the finished product, and whether the recycled components are themselves recyclable when the house reaches it's end of life. Any of these factors could result in some pretty big downsides.
what if the building caught on fire? is it safe for the atmosfer?
Thank you for the innovation you have brought. But can I be train to built some in my country Ghana
Donde puedo comprar ese material aquí en México? Para construir una casa.
Que bien pero no sé por qué no hay mercado abierto para todos de este producto .
How healthy is recycled plastic as material? Any side effects on health? (I dont know, I m asking)
Good question
Donde se puede comprar esos ladrillos?
But how does it smell inside such a house, especially when the summer sun heats the walls?
There's no summer there. It's always like 60° Fahrenheit in Bogota
Has there been research on the toxicity of the recycled plastics used for home building & is it affordable for low income population- also how does it hold up in different weather environments- very hot, humid or subzero temperatures- just a few questions that came to mind while watching- very cool to come up with a long term solution for recycling plastic if it is not toxic to those that process it & to those that live in structures made from this plastic
If so ,first we have to throw our water bottle ,food packed products then..is it not toxic?
@@sweetpraz Sometimes a process can make something toxic- a plastic may not be toxic to begin with but depending on how it is processed it may become so that is why I mentioned it as it would be important to look in to
como podria uno trabajar en esto y aprender seria bonito trabajar en una empresa que esta contribuyendo al cambio del planeta
How do they join bricks? I mean it's like a Lego alright but if you build a brick house, you gotta break bricks in different sizes to match the length. So do they have any thought about that? I'd really love to know
Genial. El gobierno Colombiano ya los apoya? Sería una idea genial para las personas sin hogar.
So how much fuel is required to breakdown the plastic and remake it into something new? What is used? I am totally in favor of finding a use for plastic trash, but it doesn't help much if breaking it down requires almost as much or even more resources, than it cost to build them in the first place.
How's the air quality inside those homes? Is there off-gassing?
One issue I've spotted immediately with this product is that it mixes recyclable plastic with non recyclable plastic, After this product has been used, how can this recycled product be recycled again? Columbia like most countries in the world will develop, meaning that the buildings that make their homes will be improved to better their standard of living. This product is made of a composite material which means the materials are extremely, if not impossible to separate, potentially creating even more landfill waste.
Other than that, it's a great solution to a current issue, I just question the sustainability of mixing thermosetting plastics and thermoforming plastics using adhesives.
I've thought about this for America but in certain states putting the houses underground that are in tornado alley
You can easily put some sprayfoam in the bricks too
Really great to see!! Hopefully it’s implemented in more places
Amazing job where i can donate
Super inspirational!!!
Good video guys, you guys keep me interested everyday
Hi, I am from Nepal. I am a civil engineer, I like your idea very much but I have one question your house is made from plastic. Is it fire proof?
This is brilliant!!
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Awang Budiman one mans plastic is another mans home
Ya podiamos tener esto en España, si alguien en Barcelona quiere montar algo parecido tengo plasticos, espacio y algo de capital, no tengo tiempo ni idea de como hacerlo,
I was looking for a proof-of-concept on this. At least it is a success.
This is such a cool idea!
Is this pure plastic or with other additives (cement)?
Gotta say, for something that is made of plastic, it has a pretty great design.
It's happening in different parts of the world now. In Ghana, Europe, America and Australia that I know of.
need to learn how to do that, i want to built it do have any contact for learn
Hola,
Yo quiero este proyecto para Honduras. Con este tema seria genial para lograr dar hogar a miles de Hondurenios.
Hay pensamientos de expansion?
saludos
what is the name of this company that produces them?
All good but how much does this cost?
I wanna see how the house was fully built cuz I wanna see the wiring and everything
This is pretty cool, finally a use for lots of material because there is plenty out there to be used. I made a list of cool recycled products from recycled ocean plastic here at designedconscious.com but i always knew there had to be something bigger that uses more used plastic. seems like the quality wouldnt have to be 100% perfect to make these bricks, unlike some of the smaller more delicate products.
How strong is it?
Wow. Keep up the good job
India needs this building materials to rebuild there homes
Wow, this is inspiring! I actually wanted to venture into this field though!
So what's holding you back?
@@AZ-bx8yi a whole lot...
But I'm hoping to get started mid 2022...
Nice material to also build schools all around the world!
Que pasaria en caso de incendio?
This is such a good idea how do I get in on it for America
America should do something lime this!
Damn thats amazing! Are there any papers punlished about the process?
that is incredible... amazing
Amazing, really good product.
The concept is great but I'd have safety concerns around fires
It won't burn since they already already solve it
finally someone is cleaning our garbage
por que los medios no hacen eco de esto para que mas personas usen estos materiales
we need more video like this