Eco-Bricks
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.
Poll: Would you use a pet cemetery?
Dave Stephens has created a pet cemetery on his land.
The 10-acre site in Albany, Auckland, features graves nestled among beautifully manicured gardens and unique art pieces, offering a serene space where visitors can pay their respects in their own way.
Is a local pet cemetery something you think you would use? Share your thoughts below.
-
31.3% Yes
-
67.1% No
-
1.5% Other - I'll share below
Neighbourly Q&A: Consumer rights with CAB's Andrew Hubbard
What can you do if you buy something that breaks soon after you buy it? It's time for another helpful Q&A.
This week we have Andrew Hubbard from Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand (CABNZ) who will be answering your questions about your consumer rights.
A little bit about Andrew:
Dr Andrew Hubbard is deputy chief executive of Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand (CAB) and loves working for the CAB so much that he’s been there for more than fifteen years.
Andrew believes in the difference people can make working together in the community and loves being able to support the work of the more than 2000 CAB volunteers across the motu. Andrew’s background is in policy and he’s been actively involved in consumer issues for the fifteen years he’s been at the CAB.
Andrew and the CAB team are ready to answer your questions about your consumer rights. This might be questions about when you can get a refunds, your rights when buying via Facebook or overseas, product delivery issues and what to do if a retailer won't sort a problem out for you. Ask away!
Andrew will be here live on Wednesday at 9.30am, but go ahead, and add your question below now ⇩
Got a minute?💡Try this riddle and let’s see how clever you really are! 🧐
I am silent, yet I speak;
I can open minds but cannot open myself;
I contain worlds but have no life—
What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
