Just outside Millet, Alta., there’s a house built entirely from recycled plastic water bottles.
Ecoplast Solutions has almost finished turning 1.2 million empty water bottles right into a house.
“Whenever you’re telling someone you might be constructing a house out of recycled plastic water bottles, it’s hard to fathom,” Kelly Rogers said with a smile.
Rogers is the managing partner at Ecoplast Solutions and is happy to get the word out about this recent approach to constructing homes.
“It comes with a really high strength-to-weight ratio and it doesn’t rot or mold so it’s a really long-lasting option as well.”
The thought originated in Eastern Canada. Rogers loved the concept and decided to bring the strategy to Western Canada.
“Out east they’ve history within the marine industry. In order that they were working with composites and constructing ships and boats their whole life. They got here across this product and realized the potential of it and the strength of it and we partnered with them,” Rogers said.
The method sees bottles broken down and became constructing panels. They’re water-resistant and robust enough to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The constructing panels also act as insulation and don’t require vapor barriers.
“It’s immune to pests, and termites don’t get into the partitions, they will’t chew through it,” Rogers said.
“It’s lower maintenance as well. A lot of long-term savings go into this product,” Rogers added. “We actually don’t require using shingles or siding. It may well be just painted, but all styles of exterior aesthetics might be applied.”
One other big factor: it takes lower than every week to assemble the panels.
“The housing industry has been just about the identical for 100 years now,” Rogers said. “We’re excited to point out people what new-and-improved methods can appear to be.
“It’s decreased constructing time on site, reduced waste, and all those benefits we put together to constructing these homes.”
“The science that goes into these homes too qualify to hit those net zero targets. It’s reducing our CO2 footprint in upcycling plastic and using recycled plastic.”
He argues that more people using this approach to constructing will help the environment in the long term.
“Twenty-five-hundred homes a 12 months for the following 40 years,” Rogers stressed. “The quantity of plastic that’s on the market above ground, that isn’t getting used, is astronomical.”
