Kampala — It is difficult to think of a bottle as a brick. But a mud-filled bottle is stronger and more durable than a brick and whatever you can do with a brick; you can do with a bottle too.
The use of plastic bottles for construction does not
only provide a solution to the bulk waste from mineral water and soda among other beverages, but provides shelter and conserves the environment.
Packing sand into plastic bottles is a technique that started nine years ago in India, South and Central America. Named "bottle brick" technology, the compacted sand inside the bottles is almost 20 times stronger than bricks.
According to Andrew Kibuuka the information officer of Joint Energy and Environment Project (JEEP), the best part about the structure is about being cost effective as one does not spend on building materials, the houses are estimated to cost 1/3 of a house made of concrete and bricks.
"The technology is cheaper as cement can be alternated by mud or clay and bottles which are the largest input can be sourced free of charge," he explained.
Construction
To have a perfect plastic bottle house, one needs to collect bottles preferably of the same size and height which are filled with soil with no provision for air spaces.
Kibuuka explains that once the bottles are not perfectly filled with soil and are not of relatively the same sizes, they can crumble down and produce an uneven structure.
"With all materials at hand including soil, construction can commence with guidance from a technical or trained personnel in the technology. The bottles are aligned by strings to keep them firm and still in shape," he explained.
The size and design of the house can be alternated according to the desire of the individual.Wondering about how the house can be kept cool during hot weather, Kibuuka refuted it posing that it is cooler than the normal brick houses since the bottles are well filled with soil and the perimeter wall is wider.
"One of the reasons behind filling the bottles with soil is to maintain the house in a cool manner throughout even in time of hot weather," he added.
The same technology has been applied before in Uganda under Butakoola Village Association for Development (BUVAD), located in Kayunga District approximately 74 km northeast of Kampala city. BUVAD built a toilet facility in the area and has worked on several other projects.
Kibuuka says the technology can also be used to construct water tanks in all areas.
Background on Plastic Bottle Construction
Plastic bottle construction is the brainchild of Andreas Froese, a German architect and environmental entrepreneur. Froese developed a method to utilize plastic (PET) bottles, a menace in many developing nations, as "bricks" in the construction of houses, latrines, and water tanks.
In 2001 Froese founded Eco-Technologia, a Honduras based environmental construction group. Since its formation, Eco-Tech has partnered with government groups and NGOs in the construction of over 50 bottle projects across Latin America, India, and most recently, Africa.
soource:east african business news
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