1685 days ago

Eco-Bricks

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean Rotorua

What is an Eco-brick?
An eco-brick is a plastic bottle packed with shredded, single-use, non-recyclable plastics, compressed to a required density to create a reusable building block. They are a sustainable way to reusenon-biodegradable plastic waste as they are regarded as a long-lasting and durable material.

Eco-bricks = a low energy solution to keeping plastic out of the ecosystem!

What is the purpose of an eco-brick?
Making an eco-brick can be a tedious and time-consuming project (but great to do whilst watching TV!) and the purpose of it is to make you responsible for your own plastic waste and encourage you to reduce your own consumption.

The aim is to help you cut down on what you’re buying and ultimately produce less waste whilst creating something beneficial for yourself or the community!

What goes into the eco-brick?
The most important thing about an eco-brick is that the contents are CLEAN and DRY before they get stuffed. The reason for this is to prevent any bacteria or mould forming inside, which will undo all your hard work as they will not be validated!

You can put inside an eco-brick:
Potato chip, biscuit, cake packets etc.
Stretchy plastic e.g., carrier bags, bread bags, clingfilm etc.
Pasta/rice packets
Packaging – bubble wrap/plastic envelopes
Styrofoam/polystyrene
Hard plastic – meat trays, flowerpots etc (however, hard plastics will need to be cut up into much smaller pieces than soft plastic to allow you to reach the weight requirements)

What can I make with an eco-brick?
The most common personal projects are footstools! They can be as small or as large as you want, you can be creative with the bottle bottom colours to make a cool pattern or cover them in some fabric to make a decorative piece around the house!

There are other smaller projects you can make, like doorstops for example! I am personally taking inspiration from this one found on Pinterest:

Ok, so how do I make one?
It is very simple! The picture below shows you how in 5 simple steps. The key is to just keep stuffing until you can’t any more! With time and patience, your brick will come to life.

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5 days ago

Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙

One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.

So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?

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Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
  • 60% Yes, supporting people is important!
    60% Complete
  • 25.7% No, individuals should take responsibility
    25.7% Complete
  • 14.3% ... It is complicated
    14.3% Complete
1021 votes
16 days ago

Fundraining for Bowl Cancer

Roydon from Rotorua Central

Hi,
This February, I am taking part in Move your Butt for Bowel Cancer and will be conquering 200km for the 100 Kiwis who die from bowel cancer every month.
My goal is to raise funds for Bowel Cancer NZ to support patients, raise awareness and fund research to beat bowel cancer.
Please sponsor my challenge and support my efforts to save Kiwi lives.
To make a donation, simply visit my personal fundraising page below:
www.moveyourbutt.org.nz...
Thanks so much for your support.
Roydon

11 hours ago

Poll: Could having a bigger university presence bring new opportunities and energy to the Bay of Plenty?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

As reported in The Post, the University of Waikato is planting roots in Tauranga as it works on “ambitious plans” to grow its Durham St campus. The goal? To see Tauranga recognised as a true “university city.”

We want to know: Could having a bigger university presence bring new opportunities and energy to the region? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Could having a bigger university presence bring new opportunities and energy to the Bay of Plenty?
  • 57.1% Yes!
    57.1% Complete
  • 28.6% Nah
    28.6% Complete
  • 14.3% Mmm, let's wait and see
    14.3% Complete
7 votes