FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEUK - RECYCLING NEWS, HINTS & TIPS
Recycling is so important as waste has a hugely negative impact on the environment. In recent years we have now all become much more aware of the impacts of our waste to our world and many households are now recycling as much of their household waste as they can.
When our waste and rubbish go to landfill harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released and recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by this waste. Recycling also reduces the need for new raw materials for manufacturers so that our rainforests can be preserved. Recycling also saves energy from manufacturers not having to produce new packaging and products from raw natural resources. Recycling reduces the need for more landfills.
The big thing for most of us now is the amount of soft plastic that is still used by supermarkets and internet companies to package their products and this is the type of plastic that you can’t put into your weekly recycling bins.
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So what can you do with your Soft Plastic Waste?
What is an Eco Brick used for?
Lots of people and businesses across the world now are making Eco Bricks to create modular furniture, garden spaces, walls and even full-scale buildings. An Eco Brick contains a huge amount of soft non-biodegradable plastic waste that currently can’t be recycled and reduces the number of new products needed to make furniture, garden spaces, walls and building etc. A lot of third world countries are using eco bricks as the main components for new buildings and coming up with new and innovative ways to use them. They are being used as building materials to create insulative structures and colourful furniture.
What is an Eco Brick?
Eco-bricks are bottles stuffed full of clean soft plastic making them a heavy and solid building material.
How long with an Eco Brick last?
Eco bottles will last for anything from 300 – 500 years if they are made correctly and kept out of sunlight.
How do I make an Eco Brick?
Start to collect all of your soft plastic including crisp packets, chocolate wrappings, toilet roll wrapping, vegetable bags, plastic bags and you will be really surprised as to how much you collect. If it is a food wrapping then it needs to be clean and dry before it goes into the bottle. Take a small plastic bottle, we would always advise that you start off with a small bottle first so a small water or fizzy drink bottle. The bottle needs to be washed out and be completely dry. Make a note of the ml of the bottle in case the outside wrapper comes off or it rubs off if it is printed on the bottle. The below gives you the weight your bottle needs to be at the end in grams.
Cut up your soft plastic into rectangle squares or strips of all sizes ranging it from 2x2cm up 15x2cm strips. Start to add the plastic into your bottle in small amounts and use a long instrument like the end of a wooden spook to keep pushing the soft plastic down. When you get to about 1/8th full weigh your bottle to check that is 1/8 of your bottles end weight that you are aiming for. The bottom of your bottle needs to feel hard not squishy to make it useable.
FIND OUT EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ECO BRICKS HERE: reusablesuperstore.com/recycling-news-hints-tips/