I like this idea simply for containing the trash before tossing it. I know I won’t want to actually use these for “building,” but this is a great way to do a plastic audit & containment method.
This is great!! I’m at school in the uk (junior year equivalent) and this would be great to implement as a project for our environment committee, thanks Emma!
I have been an environmental warrior and low-waster for years and never thought of this! I have been using TerraCycle (not free) for my unavoidable plastic waste, but it's costly. This could be a great alternative, or even to use WITH my terracycle to compact the items I send there. THANKS SO MUCH!
This is a really cool concept! Honestly, just for landfill purposes, this is genius, but I love the idea of using them to build things, too. I do take a lot of my thin plastics to Walmart for recycling, but they don't take all thin plastics. I know we've talked about this before, but I would love to see if you could find out what happens with the recycling at places like Walmart and Target. My hope is that is does get recycled, but it would be great to know if that's actually the case.
I have a great idea for an ecobrick project! Remember the cat tower you made out of cans, cardboard, tape, and rope. It would be really smart to utilize ecobrick for the base as to provide structural stability.
Earlier this year you made a video which touched in how wasteful golf courses are. I commented that some in Australia, particularly in the Outback, are lawn free. A month ago hubby and I went on vacation to visit family. What did we stumble across 12 hours drive north from home, but still in my state? Coober Pedy golf course. Not a blade of grass in sight.
i started using the plastic bottles to contain the plastic trash. like you said, to make sure the bags dont escape into the environment. and to compact the trash to not take up so much space into the trash can
I work at Walmart and we do actually recycle the plastic that gets dropped off! It goes into our bailer and we make “super sandwich” bales. So basically all the plastic that gets dropped off and discarded plastic from around the store gets squished into a bale (aka a huge brick) and then it’s picked up.
what happens to it after that, though? i've always been confident companies like walmart and target do bale it up, but then what? do you have any sources stating how and where it gets recycled?
That's really good it got at least that far at your Walmart. I worked at one in a particularly bad part of town for 5 years. We had to discontinue that service because of all the literal crap people would throw in there. It made no sense because there was a trash can right next to it.....maintenance had to throw it all out because it would be full of dirty diapers and half eaten McDonalds.....I tried explaining "that's not a trash can" once and got flipped off. This....this is exactly why we can't have nice things 🤦♂️
This a great idea. I have so much on my plate that I don’t think I want to do this right now. It does sound like a good way for teenagers who are concerned about the environment to help reduce their families’ environmental footprint.
We made these for my sons school a few years ago. Now all soft plastics go into our recycling bins here in Ireland. Although you're alright, a lot of them are also blowing around.
So happy that you made this video. I have never heard of this. So incredible! Would it not be better to make eco bricks out of the sane plastic, except the lids. That way if you want to "throw away your project" if you move or something. Then you can remove the lids and recycle them? Or is impossible even if all the plastics match to recycle them at all? Thank you for a very informative video. I am so glad that you mentioned others took a class. This would be an incredible class to add to school curriculum. Thank you for a very informative and passionate video. These are the types of videos that I was talking about because, notonly do they inspire And I learn, but your presentation style rocks! I am not suggesting that you can deliver this energy every video, just encouraging you ❤.
if all the plastics match inside, it still won't match a plastic #1 bottle so no it cannot EVER be recycled. You can remove all the inside plastic and recycle the bottle and throw away (or find a special program to recycle) the thin plastics. Thank you for your support!
about the plastic bag recycling at grocery stores: I used to work at Lowe's Foods, but before that would recycle bags in their drop off bin. I quickly learned once I was hired that they don't recycle the bags, they just throw them out in the dumpster. Definitely a green washing technique. idk about other places or Lowes locations tho
Yup We begin our ecobrick two month ago We use the stick from semaphore stick (on scout activity, usually our students extracuricular on every Friday) this stick is comfortable to push the plastics into the bottle Thanks for sharing this idea to make our environment safe and clean
This is probably obvious but for new people, make sure not to use a literal stick 😂! I don't have any eco-bricking experience (but plan to start soon!) but i can imagine pieces of bark and possibly even tiny bugs getting inside if an actual piece of branch is used to compact the plastic. As always, great video! Even years later I love your content and it's so helpful as a beginner environmentalist 💜
Another epic and educational video. Keep them coming! You are very informative and I thank you for the time it takes you for resources and making videos 😘
Wow, this is so eye opening. Thank you very much. Would you consider making a video about rubber gloves or gloves for gardening/housework/construction work that are more sustainable than your regular ones?
that sounds like it wouldnt be a very long video. I'm sure google has some anwers though! i don't use single use for garden work i use reusable gloves that last years
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist you wanted to say ecosia has got some answers?))) I do use reusables as well but they do not last for long. I used IKEA’s gloves for household work, but they were broken only two months after.
Do you think filling a bottle with cigarette buds I find around my neighborhood could help with lowering space in landfills or would it not matter since they're already so small?
Even getting them into the landfill is better than leaving them outside. They poison the soil, the ocean/water sources, and harm animals. Good on you for picking them up!!!
i think picking them up regardless is great. another perk to eco-bricks is it prevents them from blowing away and becoming litter once again. The Eco Brick Alliance even has tips for how to make cigarette bricks!
This is extremely inspiring! Just started my first ecobrick, i need an outdoor coffee table for next summer. Is it very harmful to have the ecobricks partly in the sun? I was thinking about wrapping some bamboo placemats around them and maybe putting a tray on top. Do you think that would be enough?
I'm going to start eco bricking! Im starting to think about what i can build with them. If you or any of the followers choose to build, i would love to know what you built and how it went😊
I'd be keen on a video exploring soft plastic recycling. In New Zealand they have to put notices on them that they are not for any garbage. Also I believe they use the plastic to make park / garden seats
Lately I have been really frustrated with my zero waste journey since I can't seem to reduce my plastic waste. A lot of it is food wrappings, but my autism makes it to stressful for me to buy diffrent products. I can't quite wrap my brain around building with these ecobricks, but I will look into it. Once I figure out how to build with them I am sure I wont have a problem finding projects to use them for.
you can also give them away on the brick marketplace link in the description! no one is perfect i hope this helps reduce your anxiety around plastic :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I did catch that you mentioned the brick marketplace in the video. But I am also really into diy and building materials are expensive. If I can figure out how to utilize the ecobricks myself, they would be a double win. Sometimes it's all but impossible to avoid plastic. I really like that you use your platform to spread ideas and solutions like the ecobricks. As you said no one is perfect. So finding ways to mitigate our imperfections is also important. It's encouraging when there is at least something we can do. It's another snowflake to add it's weight.
What is that tool that your mom got you to pack them, called?? I'm just now getting started on this journey!! I've reduced my plastic waste when it comes to bathroom products but I know I need to do more and this is the PERFECT thing to focus on next! I feel a pang of guilt every single time I throw out plastic so I think this will really help me to feel like I'm making a bigger difference. ♥
How do they turn it into a bench without puncturing the eco-brick?? Sorry I'm not really getting how to make stuff out of these without either melting them down welding them together or stacking them in concrete but they would probably hold together better if I skewered them together?? 🤔 idk they're a weird medium to work with.... I'd have to see how other people use them to get an idea of what exactly to do with it....
So I started to do this last year but didn't think about washing fruit snack packages and granola bar packages ... I wonder if mine will explode still ?
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist it just seemed like they would never dry ... Yeah I've gotten the kids to realize we should be using less packaging but they won't eat handmade food not in a package it's ridiculous!
I love the idea of making an eco brick. At the minute I put all my plastic wrappers iin a bag and once full I take to our local m and s store to be recycled into their store bags and kids playground toys. What are you making with your eco bricks?
So couldn't you just put dirty plastic in there and pour some bleach or rubbing alcohol in the bottle so it won't explode because washing the plastics is crazy
I didn't know you can use it too build for yourself, I thought you donate them so that they can build homes in 3rd world countries. maybe I should start getting started till the day I buy a house and do what I wanna do with it (build a raised garden bed in the backyard, not attaching or ruining the house of course)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I like this idea simply for containing the trash before tossing it. I know I won’t want to actually use these for “building,” but this is a great way to do a plastic audit & containment method.
i totally agree with this!
This is great!! I’m at school in the uk (junior year equivalent) and this would be great to implement as a project for our environment committee, thanks Emma!
that would be so fun!! best of luck!
I have been an environmental warrior and low-waster for years and never thought of this! I have been using TerraCycle (not free) for my unavoidable plastic waste, but it's costly. This could be a great alternative, or even to use WITH my terracycle to compact the items I send there. THANKS SO MUCH!
me either it was new to me when I filmed this too!
Would love to see your washing/cutting/collecting process!! Its daunting to think of how to incorporate it in my daily routine.
I wish I could but I no longer do this due to space...but when I did do this I would wash stuff immediately and then cut and stuff whenever I had time
This is a really cool concept! Honestly, just for landfill purposes, this is genius, but I love the idea of using them to build things, too. I do take a lot of my thin plastics to Walmart for recycling, but they don't take all thin plastics. I know we've talked about this before, but I would love to see if you could find out what happens with the recycling at places like Walmart and Target. My hope is that is does get recycled, but it would be great to know if that's actually the case.
right?! it will reduce landfill space greatly! i need to do some digging but like you my hopes arent high
I also would like to see a video on this.
I have a great idea for an ecobrick project! Remember the cat tower you made out of cans, cardboard, tape, and rope. It would be really smart to utilize ecobrick for the base as to provide structural stability.
that would be a great idea!!
I had this thought as well!😊 i've only began my ecobricking journey, but if you attempt this let me know because i want to try it😊
@@maddyg4024 of course!
Earlier this year you made a video which touched in how wasteful golf courses are. I commented that some in Australia, particularly in the Outback, are lawn free. A month ago hubby and I went on vacation to visit family. What did we stumble across 12 hours drive north from home, but still in my state?
Coober Pedy golf course. Not a blade of grass in sight.
woah!
i started using the plastic bottles to contain the plastic trash. like you said, to make sure the bags dont escape into the environment. and to compact the trash to not take up so much space into the trash can
nice idea!
I work at Walmart and we do actually recycle the plastic that gets dropped off! It goes into our bailer and we make “super sandwich” bales. So basically all the plastic that gets dropped off and discarded plastic from around the store gets squished into a bale (aka a huge brick) and then it’s picked up.
what happens to it after that, though? i've always been confident companies like walmart and target do bale it up, but then what? do you have any sources stating how and where it gets recycled?
That's really good it got at least that far at your Walmart. I worked at one in a particularly bad part of town for 5 years. We had to discontinue that service because of all the literal crap people would throw in there. It made no sense because there was a trash can right next to it.....maintenance had to throw it all out because it would be full of dirty diapers and half eaten McDonalds.....I tried explaining "that's not a trash can" once and got flipped off. This....this is exactly why we can't have nice things 🤦♂️
Though I do have to say they have been making improvements. Their composting program is pretty cool.
Yay! Thank you for doing this video and for educating us on eco bricks! I started my first one thanks to you!
awww yayayyyyy can't wait to see how it does!
This a great idea. I have so much on my plate that I don’t think I want to do this right now. It does sound like a good way for teenagers who are concerned about the environment to help reduce their families’ environmental footprint.
this is great for all ages and to be honest it takes me little time. Maybe a minute each day to cut and stuff the plastic :)
We made these for my sons school a few years ago. Now all soft plastics go into our recycling bins here in Ireland. Although you're alright, a lot of them are also blowing around.
woah so lucky they can be collected curbside!
So happy that you made this video. I have never heard of this. So incredible! Would it not be better to make eco bricks out of the sane plastic, except the lids. That way if you want to "throw away your project" if you move or something. Then you can remove the lids and recycle them? Or is impossible even if all the plastics match to recycle them at all?
Thank you for a very informative video. I am so glad that you mentioned others took a class. This would be an incredible class to add to school curriculum.
Thank you for a very informative and passionate video. These are the types of videos that I was talking about because, notonly do they inspire And I learn, but your presentation style rocks! I am not suggesting that you can deliver this energy every video, just encouraging you ❤.
if all the plastics match inside, it still won't match a plastic #1 bottle so no it cannot EVER be recycled. You can remove all the inside plastic and recycle the bottle and throw away (or find a special program to recycle) the thin plastics. Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your reply, research, and channel ❤️.
about the plastic bag recycling at grocery stores: I used to work at Lowe's Foods, but before that would recycle bags in their drop off bin. I quickly learned once I was hired that they don't recycle the bags, they just throw them out in the dumpster. Definitely a green washing technique. idk about other places or Lowes locations tho
yes i need to look into it cause I've always assumed it was just a scam :(
how do you check the bottle’s density?
you just squeeze it. It should be rock solid
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist okay, thank you!!
great video!! thank you for making ❤❤
thank you!
Yup
We begin our ecobrick two month ago
We use the stick from semaphore stick (on scout activity, usually our students extracuricular on every Friday) this stick is comfortable to push the plastics into the bottle
Thanks for sharing this idea to make our environment safe and clean
yay!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist yup
😂 but its hard to change mindset
Not everyone can do this
so true! over time though people can change their mindset, I did!@@mybestschoolSMPN3KIKAN
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist allright
We will continue to make ecobrick and influence others too
Thanks for the ideas
😊👍
Salam from Indonesia 🇲🇨
yay! always inspire others! @@mybestschoolSMPN3KIKAN
This is such a great idea thank you for sharing!! I will try to start implementing this in my routine.
yayy can't wait to see!
This is probably obvious but for new people, make sure not to use a literal stick 😂! I don't have any eco-bricking experience (but plan to start soon!) but i can imagine pieces of bark and possibly even tiny bugs getting inside if an actual piece of branch is used to compact the plastic. As always, great video! Even years later I love your content and it's so helpful as a beginner environmentalist 💜
haha true! thank you :)
Another epic and educational video. Keep them coming! You are very informative and I thank you for the time it takes you for resources and making videos 😘
thank you so so much!!!
Wow, this is so eye opening. Thank you very much. Would you consider making a video about rubber gloves or gloves for gardening/housework/construction work that are more sustainable than your regular ones?
that sounds like it wouldnt be a very long video. I'm sure google has some anwers though! i don't use single use for garden work i use reusable gloves that last years
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist you wanted to say ecosia has got some answers?))) I do use reusables as well but they do not last for long. I used IKEA’s gloves for household work, but they were broken only two months after.
Do you think filling a bottle with cigarette buds I find around my neighborhood could help with lowering space in landfills or would it not matter since they're already so small?
Even getting them into the landfill is better than leaving them outside. They poison the soil, the ocean/water sources, and harm animals. Good on you for picking them up!!!
i think picking them up regardless is great. another perk to eco-bricks is it prevents them from blowing away and becoming litter once again. The Eco Brick Alliance even has tips for how to make cigarette bricks!
My first video on ecobricks. Thank you!🙌🤗💖🌎
of course!!
When the garbage trucks compact trash won't they damage/break the eco bricks?
maybe? but likely not as it is super dense
I've done this few year ago and forgot where's that bottle already (cause I forgot) but will probably want to do this again🤞
yay have fun!
This is extremely inspiring! Just started my first ecobrick, i need an outdoor coffee table for next summer. Is it very harmful to have the ecobricks partly in the sun? I was thinking about wrapping some bamboo placemats around them and maybe putting a tray on top. Do you think that would be enough?
thank you so much! i would probably avoid direct sun exposure and cover them up
what a great idea!!!
thanks!
I'm going to start eco bricking! Im starting to think about what i can build with them. If you or any of the followers choose to build, i would love to know what you built and how it went😊
i'm sending mine to my mom to use at her school :)
My science teacher told me to make a eco brick, I dont know what is that before i watched it, now i understand it and now making it, thank you☺️☺️😂
yayyy thank you for watching, good luck!
I'd be keen on a video exploring soft plastic recycling. In New Zealand they have to put notices on them that they are not for any garbage. Also I believe they use the plastic to make park / garden seats
i wish i knew more about it but it's not really a thing in the US
This is very interesting! Certainly something i will give a try at one point
yay can't wait to see your creations!
Lately I have been really frustrated with my zero waste journey since I can't seem to reduce my plastic waste. A lot of it is food wrappings, but my autism makes it to stressful for me to buy diffrent products. I can't quite wrap my brain around building with these ecobricks, but I will look into it. Once I figure out how to build with them I am sure I wont have a problem finding projects to use them for.
you can also give them away on the brick marketplace link in the description! no one is perfect i hope this helps reduce your anxiety around plastic :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I did catch that you mentioned the brick marketplace in the video. But I am also really into diy and building materials are expensive. If I can figure out how to utilize the ecobricks myself, they would be a double win.
Sometimes it's all but impossible to avoid plastic. I really like that you use your platform to spread ideas and solutions like the ecobricks. As you said no one is perfect. So finding ways to mitigate our imperfections is also important. It's encouraging when there is at least something we can do. It's another snowflake to add it's weight.
@@melinnamba That would be great! So happy this inspires you, thank you for your support :)
So much plastic is made and I think only 6% of plastic is recycled. This is a great idea.
yes!! we need a better options than the landfill and litter
What is that tool that your mom got you to pack them, called?? I'm just now getting started on this journey!! I've reduced my plastic waste when it comes to bathroom products but I know I need to do more and this is the PERFECT thing to focus on next! I feel a pang of guilt every single time I throw out plastic so I think this will really help me to feel like I'm making a bigger difference. ♥
it's a knife sharpener and she found it at Goodwill! and it's multipurpose since I use it to sharpen knives haha
That's awesome! I'm going to be keeping an eye out for one then! Thank you for answering my question! (: @@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist
yay hope you find one soon! @@highervibesheal
Everything you mentioned can single stream recycle in my area
good for you! what area is that?
Haha, the ad when I clicked play was from Ziplock 😂😂😂
STOPPPP
How do they turn it into a bench without puncturing the eco-brick?? Sorry I'm not really getting how to make stuff out of these without either melting them down welding them together or stacking them in concrete but they would probably hold together better if I skewered them together?? 🤔 idk they're a weird medium to work with.... I'd have to see how other people use them to get an idea of what exactly to do with it....
you can check out the ecobrick alliance for more info :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist Thanks Emma :)
How have I never heard of this?! Now I have something to do with our jelly jars. 🙌🏼
oh noooo no no no this is for plastic only not glass!!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I'm assuming she means plastic jelly containers
Hi! I am a teacher, so I laminate a LOT. Can I put laminated paper in the eco brick?
you can but it would be very tricky since it's not very soft
So I started to do this last year but didn't think about washing fruit snack packages and granola bar packages ... I wonder if mine will explode still ?
it shouldn't for things like that unless they were like covered in melted gummies or chocoloate
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist it just seemed like they would never dry ... Yeah I've gotten the kids to realize we should be using less packaging but they won't eat handmade food not in a package it's ridiculous!
@@j87waldo they would definitely dry hahaha it might just take some waiting, overnight should do the trick.
Where do you get plastic receipts??
Most receipts can’t be recycled so they’re great for eco bricks!
literally everywhere they are almost ALL paper covered in plastic
I had no idea! Thanks.
Why can you only use screw tops for ecobricks?
structural integrity, I imagine, they don't risk the cap popping off nearly as easily as flip tops
I may have missed it, but aren’t receipts made of paper?
partially! partially plastic rendering them non recyclable
My brother back in the 90s would collect trash and put them in bottles just like this. He called them Trash Bottles.
oh cool!
😮 waw
cool right!
We should all be skeptical if plastic is recycled!
I disagree...plastic recycling is FAR from perfect but recycling is SO valuable as it prevents the drilling of toxic petroluem
I love the idea of making an eco brick. At the minute I put all my plastic wrappers iin a bag and once full I take to our local m and s store to be recycled into their store bags and kids playground toys. What are you making with your eco bricks?
i love that you have access to recycling! I'm sending them to my mom to use since i'm moving soon
Wait, you put receipts in there?? Are receipts made with plastic?!
they are! they are plastic-coated paper and are not recyclable
So couldn't you just put dirty plastic in there and pour some bleach or rubbing alcohol in the bottle so it won't explode because washing the plastics is crazy
absolutely not that is a recipe for disaster
I didn't know you can use it too build for yourself, I thought you donate them so that they can build homes in 3rd world countries. maybe I should start getting started till the day I buy a house and do what I wanna do with it (build a raised garden bed in the backyard, not attaching or ruining the house of course)
I am SUPER anti giving our literal trash to struggling people unless they truly want this I am only using these for myself and people i KNOW want them
تتحدث بسرعة لااستطيع قراءة الترجمة بسرعة
اتمنى ان تتكلم ببطىء دائما ما اعلق ولكنك لا تكترث
يا أختي هناك خاصية تبطيء الكلام على اليوتيوب من فوق، اضغطي ويمكنك سماع كلامها بسرعة 0.75 مثلا
You could try reading the transcript.