Back in February, I contributed a story about ecobricks to Cosmopolitan Philippines. By the time my article was published, I was deeply invested in this environmental movement. My mother was amused at the shelf dedicated to my ecobricks at home, and how I would rummage through our trash bins to collect plastic waste, clean them, and turn them into ecobricks.
An ecobrick is a plastic bottle fully stuffed with dry plastic waste, such as candy wrappers, food foil packs, shampoo sachets, and plastic utensils. The bottles are used as bricks or building blocks to make modular furniture and low-cost buildings like schools, garden spaces, and sheds.
Here’s how it’s done:
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There’s a growing number of ecobrickers around the world. In the Philippine, the main group is The Plastic Solution. With the help of other environmental groups, The Plastic Solution collects ecobricks and spearheads the building of eco structures such as schools, greenhouses, and planters in different communities around the country.
When I started making my own ecobricks, it made me more aware of the unnecessary single-use plastics I consume daily. Because the Philippines is the third highest plastic waste generator in the world (number one is China, followed by Indonesia), you can imagine how most of our plastic debris end up in the ocean.
More than creating ecobricks to lessen the plastic I throw into the garbage bin, I’ve become more vigilant about reusing and recycling. I’m also determined to lessen my plastic waste by investing in eco straws, reusable water bottles, and other zero waste essentials.
Join me in this movement, dear readers! Once you’ve successfully stuffed your own eco bricks, bring them over to the official drop-off points all over Manila. Watch this video for tips on how to make the right eco bottles. Spread the world to increase our tribe of ecobrickers.
July 12, 2017