Page 39 - Plastics News February 2017

FEFAETAUTURRESES

Technology converts waste plastic bottles & fish net into affordable

construction

Samarpan Foundation, an NGO that works in the areas Foundation, “India faces a housing shortfall of 19 million
of rural and urban development in multiple fields dwelling units. By using these PET bottles and fish net,
has pioneered a method of eco-construction
technology with waste plastic bottles and fish net one gets to build sustainable and earthquake resistant
that is proven to withstand earthquakes of up to homes that reduce carbon footprint and also give rise to
9.8 on the Richter scale. cottage industry by giving employment opportunities to
the old and infirm. We found that when a PET bottle is
The bottle house constructions would address filled with mud or sand and recapped, it can be used as a
2 major challenges facing the country solid, everlasting brick.
namely, shortage of affordable housing and We have successfully replaced steel in the RCC slab with
disposal of plastic bottle (PET) waste. These Nylon-6 fish net at a mere 1% of the cost of steel, utilizing
novel homes made from plastic bottles and fish its high tensile strength. The non-biodegradable PET bottle
net are affordable, easy to build, energy self- has a high tensile strength to weight ratio making it strong,
sufficient, well-insulated, earthquake resistant, durable and versatile. PET bottles are non-brittle and also
fire-proof, and offer a sustainable solution to act as heat insulators. They can therefore withstand heavy
the ever growing pollution problem. In the shock loads, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
present scenario, PET bottles are becoming Construction with PET bottles greatly reduces waste by
the bane of modern civilization. Plastic bottles lowering the demand for conventional bricks and thus
that are non-bio degradable take hundreds of carbon emissions during baking, all the while reducing
years to disintegrate. Their disposal poses a challenge plastic waste.”
in waste management. The scientific disposal of plastic For a region of the world where money tends to be scarce,
waste through segregation, collection, treatment or the bottle houses are estimated to cost 1/3 of a house
constructive usage in an environmentally sound manner made of concrete and bricks. Around 10,000 bottles are
is the need of the hour. required for a 250 square foot building. Also, the structure
is adaptable with bricks and stones along with fish net.
After successfully completing projects with this eco-
technology in various cities including a 30-bed hospital in
Sunderbans West Bengal; a villa in Bangalore and climate
sensitive earthquake resistant establishments in Nepal;
besides a classroom in Samarpan School in Kishangarh,
Delhi, among others, Samarpan Foundation has applied
for and is in the process of registering its patent for
Nylon-6 Fish Net and PET Bottle Construction under the
Patents Act, 1970, with the Controller of Designs under the

Design Act, 2000
and under the
Copyrights Act,
1957.

According to
Patrick San
Francesco,
Chairman of
Samarpan

39 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 | Plastics News