In today's culture, there has been a massive stress put on the future of our planet. We are becoming increasingly aware of climate change, greenhouse gases, the protection of the ozone layer, habitat destruction... The list could go on! However one UK Facebook group has decided to take matters into their own hands and help the environment in one very unusual way.
Ecobricks UK aims to reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill and into the ocean by encouraging people to try and reduce how much single-use plastic they purchase by packing it into plastic bottles. It is near impossible to go to a beach nowadays and find it completely clear of plastic and rubbish waste. According to Surfers Against Sewage, every day around eight million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into the ocean. And with a global population of over 7 billion people that have produced over 320 million tons of plastic in 2016 alone (which is set to double by 2034), there is no time to waste in saving this planet from plastic pollution.
Ecobricks encourages its growing community of over 40,000 members to rethink their plastic use and aim to reuse and re-purpose it wherever they can. One of these ways is through the building of bricks to help build homes in third world countries
CollectiveMCR spoke to some members of Ecobricks UK to find out more...
Bobbie is an admin on the Ecobricks UK Facebook page, who has been a member of the page since early 2018. "I joined the group as I knew I needed to change something with all this plastic. My new years resolution was to stop buying fruit and veg in plastic. I discovered this movement known as Zero-Waste and really felt it snowball from there." Zero waste is the attempt in creating little to no waste at all, which is a massive lifestyle adjustment, a way around this is to Ecobrick. Ecobricking is the process of stuffing a plastic bottle with more plastic until it is so tightly compacted that it creates a durable brick that will last forever due to plastics longevity as a material.
Another member, Kirsty tells CollectiveMCR, "One day I saw a YouTube video of footstools made of plastic bottles (empty not Ecobricks) and I decided to have a go at making a footstool with my bricks for my brother’s Christmas present. It was a far bigger/more ambitious project than I’d ever tackled before. I get a real buzz from making something from ‘free’ materials and re-purposing something that was otherwise destined for the bin. It’s released my creativity as I’ve been able to take risks and experiment with seeing styles and techniques with the freedom of knowing that if it doesn’t turn out as expected then I haven’t lost anything but some time."
I get a real buzz from making something from ‘free’ materials and re-purposing something that was otherwise destined for the bin.
It appears that Ecobricking really is a technique that is here for the long run. Not only does it show us how much plastic we are going through each day, it also allows for us to broaden our creativity and re-purpose these materials in more efficient ways. Whether it is in community projects or just in our own homes it is difficult to ignore the importance of environmental campaigns like this whereby we can save money, save materials and save the planet.
Check out Ecobricks UK for yourself at their
Written by:
Morgan Lockwood
Comments