The Lashes are doing our part to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment by 1) reducing our plastic consumption and 2) making ECOBRICKS out of the plastic that makes it into our home. We have learned and embraced the fact that recycling is not as effective as we would wish. The best thing about recycling here in South Africa is the jobs created for young men who spend their mornings picking through the trash. But there are issues with that, too.
So we are excited about our home EcoBrick factory – where we are repurposing our own used plastic and styrofoam.
Preparation – plastic must be washed and dried thoroughly. We have chosen to use Krush bottles – they are the way we buy our fruit juice, so we have a constant supply.
We have a dedicated cabinet in our kitchen to store completed and in-process EcoBricks. There is a bit of a learning curve when beginning to make EcoBricks – so after a month we only have about two properly packed bricks. They must be 0.33g/mL density, which means smashing out ALL the air bubbles and using a certain ratio of syrofoam to plastic films. Unfortunately even with EcoBricks, styrofoam is very difficult to get rid of – unless you can somehow super pressurize them and squeeze out all the air.
In a few months we will have enough to build something cool. For now we are looking at ideas … e.g. https://za.pinterest.com/2OceansAquarium/ecobrick-building-ideas/