Indian student creates plastic bricks!

[Muajin76]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/25/a...c2e/index.html

Kinda like lego bricks, created with waste plastic after being cleaned and treated.

Gets rid of the tons of plastic waste for 8 cents a brick and could be used for making homes. Awesome idea.

[cubby]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/25/a...c2e/index.html

Kinda like lego bricks, created with waste plastic after being cleaned and treated.

Gets rid of the tons of plastic waste for 8 cents a brick and could be used for making homes. Awesome idea.

That's pretty amazing.

What kind of ramping up procedures are needed to get it to popping out bricks at $0.08/per? And what kind of reclamation percentages are we looking at (i.e. how much of the recycled plastic is used compared to waste after processing)? What are the cleaning costs for the plastic initially?

If the actual process is small, you could slap a factory on top of a barge (or larger) and send it out to those areas in the ocean that are congregating plastics.

[Cerilis]

I hope they are actually suitable building material, sounds amazing.

[Muajin76]

I hope they are actually suitable building material, sounds amazing.

Better than what the article says they are currently using, which comes with health risks as well as a pricier cost/heavier to lift. Suitability/cost effiecient plus cleans up the world and provides homes for people.

[Shadowferal]

If the actual process is small, you could slap a factory on top of a barge (or larger) and send it out to those areas in the ocean that are congregating plastics.

If they could do that cleanly, they could have a full scale business running for years.

[Rennadrel]

Absolutely useless for most of the northern hemisphere where -40 C is a possibility or a reality. Plastic has no structural integrity unless it's a solid piece. Not to mention adhering it to be weather proof is way more costly than mortar for brick laying.

[Frolk]

Absolutely useless for most of the northern hemisphere where -40 C is a possibility or a reality. Plastic has no structural integrity unless it's a solid piece. Not to mention adhering it to be weather proof is way more costly than mortar for brick laying.

Id assume its ment to be used in India to make small houses for the poor, its not ment to used above the arctic circle with -50C during winter.

[Shadowferal]

Absolutely useless for most of the northern hemisphere where -40 C is a possibility or a reality. Plastic has no structural integrity unless it's a solid piece. Not to mention adhering it to be weather proof is way more costly than mortar for brick laying.

Harshed my buzz...as an acquaintance of mine would say.
Still, your reality check is just that..*sigh*

Might be some other applications however. Not sure I'd dismiss the idea just yet.

[Muajin76]

https://www.unicef.org/wca/press-rel...-factory-côte

Just read about this. A UNICEF factory that has made plastic brick schools in West Africa. Countries with plastic waste problems need to jump on this bandwagon. There is soooo much plastic in the ocean as well that could make buildings as well.

[zenkai]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/25/a...c2e/index.html

Kinda like lego bricks, created with waste plastic after being cleaned and treated.

Gets rid of the tons of plastic waste for 8 cents a brick and could be used for making homes. Awesome idea.

I saw a guy propose this idea over a decade ago. He wanted a cheap way to build homes in poor countries.

[AeneasBK]

Absolutely useless for most of the northern hemisphere where -40 C is a possibility or a reality.

You talking by land area or population? Seems to stretch the term "most" for the latter, at least.

[cubby]

Absolutely useless for most of the northern hemisphere where -40 C is a possibility or a reality. Plastic has no structural integrity unless it's a solid piece. Not to mention adhering it to be weather proof is way more costly than mortar for brick laying.

It's a good thing 4/5th's of the world's population doesn't live in a climate that can get to -40 C. Where are you getting your data for adhering? Just curious.

[Graeham]

Isn't plastic prone to melting and releasing toxic fumes? I'm all for plastic being recycled, though I don't think I'd want to live in a house not made of bricks...

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

I've said middle eastern people were super smart but they're held back by how socially regressive they're. conservatism at it's extreme is cancer but so are most ideologies. If they just became more liberal and told religion to fuck off. They be in a way better place. Not trying to be racist. I just hate what religion does man. The middle east is a fucking great example.
[Infraction]

[Cosmic Janitor]

I saw a guy propose this idea over a decade ago. He wanted a cheap way to build homes in poor countries.

Yea, this and impregnated cardboard have been floated around like 10 years ago.

[Moadar]

Yea, this and impregnated cardboard have been floated around like 10 years ago.

Old tires make a really strong set of walls too. My buddy built something called an earth ship with them. Could probably ram a semi truck into it and only damage the plaster stuff.

[Zero3]

First of all it's a safety hazard. Second of all, it's not doing anything to prevent the current amount of plastic being used. If anything it creates an excuse to create more plastic because "hey! we can use it now for other stuff and not throw it away! ". But when the storm hits or tides come that whole house of plastic still goes into in the ocean or some other body of water. So, in my eyes, while the sentiment is a positive one, the outcome is pretty bad and harmful for the future.

[Rustedsaint]

Gotta wonder how toxic is the smoke when these bricks are on fire

[The Butt Witch]

Plastic is light. Structures made of plastic are flimsy and prone to collapsing if someone kicks a wall.
Also plastic burns, so it's a fire hazard as well.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Cool use of recycled materials, but damn those structures look so disheveled I would never live there.