A house made of…plastic?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the 3 little pigs, but how about the fourth? The first pig had a house made of straw, the second a house of sticks, the third a house of brick, and the fourth a house of plastic.
For centuries, we’ve been the third pig, making houses out of bricks. But now there’s a new pig on the farm, where Hundreds of people around the world are buying houses made of plastic.
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Solving a problem that’s been plaguing people for years at a time.
The plague of homelessness
As of 2023, no less than 150,000,000 people around the world have been reported homeless. The average construction project uses metal or wood, unbeknownst to most, these materials can be quite problematic; these materials are precious when it comes to architecture, to be able to use these materials manufacturing companies use methods that cause pollution and destroy animal habitats. These setbacks discourage companies from making more houses, which leads to the growth of our global homeless population. Finding a replacement for said materials could not only save money but also human lives.
Startup companies, like Azure, have started printing homes out of plastic waste, typically, they use 8 tons of plastic waste to 3D print 60-square-meter houses significantly reducing waste and emissions.
But it’s plastic…?
To understand the plastic house concept a little more: Plastic, being the synthetic organic material it is, is very malleable and therefore able to be molded into solid objects. Houses, of course, need to be equipped for various weather conditions and strong enough to withstand heavier weights on floors and walls. With this in mind, these are somewhat contrasting properties, yet they actually complement one another’s properties in an eco-friendly way.
Plastic in construction for the better
Typically, plastic in construction is used in floor coverings, insulation, pipes, cables, and so forth. However, by processing plastic waste and adding other additives, such as carbon or glass for a sense of strength in the material, the end result will produce a more environmentally sustainable construction material. There are actually a lot more components of a house that are made up of plastic. This means that the comfort and functionality of a plastic house will be no different from that of a regular house!
The issue is MOMENTS from being solved!
Currently, there’s a start-up working with UNICEF to build thousands of houses made from plastic waste, with the purpose of sheltering the homeless population in third-world countries. Orthos, the company in name, is working on the creation of refrigerated storage, in order to preserve medicines and perishable foods. Considering the usage of plastic waste, they’re not only saving resources by not using traditional materials like wood or metal but also removing the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste; by including plastic in Construction it not only encourages eco-friendly lives but also affects our planet and other species for the better.
Maybe not that close
Though known for its nature and abundance of parks, Canada holds 3000 landfills. More than China and the United States combined! It’s these landfills that take up the decreasing space and affect wildlife. By utilizing this waste, Canada could free up space for residential construction and create positive change pollution-wise. The same concept could be applied to any country, city, or region.
To conclude
With this eco-friendly innovation, the global total of plastic waste could be lowered substantially. Using plastic waste to create houses would benefit the population economically and environmentally.
