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XBrandt, David (2014). Reuse, Re-Roof, Recycle. Industrial Engineer: IE, 46(5), 54-55.

Resintile (company producing construction materials from plastic waste) uses plastics that include high-
density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, high-impact polystyrene, polypropylene and acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene – all commonly found in a wide variety of products such as plastic bottles, printer
cartridges, computer casings, textiles, water pipes and various packaging. Mixed with sand, the raw
materials become tough but easy to shape.

“The use of molds implies that plastic tiles can be easily shaped and cut, making for uniformity across a
whole production run. When laying Resintiles on a roof, they interlock and are easy to align and lighter
to work with.”

Tamusuza said high-density polyethylene is the best plastic material for recycling into the strongest tiles,
ridges and other roofing material.

“The company has the potential to create a steady demand for recyclable plastic waste while removing
valuable materials from the waste stream. This not only promotes cleaning up and taking care of our
natural environment but also empowers the local communities and individuals.” – David Brandt

GAGGINO, R., & ARGUELLO, R. G. (2014). Building Components Made From Recycled Plastics. Key
Engineering Materials, 600615-627. DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.600.615

Plastic materials are characterized by their lightness, as well as their resistance to weather conditions
and to many chemicals. But these very qualities that make them useful on one hand are a disadvantage
from the environmental point of view when they become waste. Plastic waste contaminates the
environment for a long time.

The problem being investigated was to develop an economical, environmentally friendly, and quality
panel made from recycled plastics. In relation to technical objectives: the material tested is suitable for
use in panels and wall covering, and slats and boards for furniture, on account of the technical
properties studied. Its main feature is that it does not swell under water, unlike traditional products
known in the market made from chipboard. The flexural resistance is almost equal to that of an
uncoated particle board. The density is higher than that of traditional panels.

Salazar, E. A., Arroyave, J. F., & Moreno, I. Y. (2014). Eco-Sustainable housing development for
vulnerable population. Ingeniería Y Competitividad, 16(1), 249-259.

In addition to the walls and columns made of plastic materials, roof tiles were manufactured out of
recycled tetrapack. Bricks and columns processing begins with the collection and reception of materials.
The main waste materials found are primarily low and high density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE)
polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). From the collected material the plastic
mixture for construction is prepared.

As tangible and intangible results of this publication project basis, we can highlight: Building an
environmentally sustainable housing module (with off-the-grid electricity and water supply with bricks
of recycled plastic) … from the environmental point of view, is a fundamental contribution in promoting
a culture of sustainability applied to house construction and efficient use of resources.

The use of reusable materials and renewable energy in operation resulted in savings on utilities bills and
the investment return in a reasonable time compared to conventional construction.

The use of recycled plastic for housing construction becomes an important model for sustainable waste
management. Taking into account large share percentage of plastic in the total waste, its reuse in social
welfare projects becomes a significant contribution. Although the bricks in the project were made out of
defective plastic discarded from industrial packaging (bags, PET bottles, etc.), it is feasible to exploit the
future potential of plastic recycled from the waste as previously described. The construction of social
housing with plastic is completely feasible from the economic point of view. The cost of construction per
square meter is competitive with current costs in the country, especially when there is evidence of an
upward trend in the cost of housing by the government (Portafolio, 2012).

Hannawi, K., Prince, W., & Bernard, S. K. (2013). Strain Capacity and Cracking Resistance Improvement
in Mortars by Adding Plastic Particles. Journal Of Materials In Civil Engineering, 25(11), 1602-1610.
doi:10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000707

The experimental results showed that the incorporation of plastic in cementitious material is a suitable
solution to limit their brittleness. Despite some drawbacks, such as the decrease in mechanical strengths
and the increase of free shrinkage length change, flexural tests demonstrated that when the plastic
aggregates content is increased, the straining capacity and the tenacity are significantly improved. The
ring-tests results showed that the plastic aggregates reduce significantly the cracking sensitivity; they
delay shrinkage cracking and cause multiple cracking with smaller crack width.

Z Muyen, TN Barna, MN Hoque (2016). Strength properties of plastic bottle bricks and their suitability
as construction materials in Bangladesh (Progressive Agriculturists No 3 Ed., Vol. 28). DOI: 362-368

Thinking along that line, a German national Andreas Froese invented the technique BI4PVS, which
involves the use of disposable PET bottles, debris and earth as raw material for construction. PET bottles
are completely filled with sand or soil or landfill dirt or mud and are used as bricks to construct houses
and even water tanks. The technology was quickly adopted in different countries including Nigeria,
South Africa, Norway, Philippines and India. His campaign till date has recovered and reused more than
300,000 PET bottles and has used these in more than 50 construction projects in Honduras, Columbia,
Bolivia. When filled with soil or sand Froese’s plastic bottles work as bricks and can be used in walls or
pillars replacing conventional bricks. These walls can be of different sizes and orientations. Froese also
measured the compression strength of his bricks; when filled with the weakest filling material e.g. sand;
his plastic bottle walls can take up to 4.3 N/mm². The plaster made of clay or a cement mixture used to
hold the bottles in place to build these walls carry two-thirds of the load while the bottles bear one-
third.
This technique of using waste PET bottles as bricks has become popular in low income communities
around the world. In the current study, the bottle bricks were found to be stronger than conventional
bricks and concrete cylinders. These bottle bricks are also Tk. 5.18 cheaper than the conventional bricks.
Considering the strength and the relatively low cost of construction, they can very successfully become
the next construction material of choice for Bangladesh too. These houses would be a positive change in
our urban fringe and slum areas’ landscape.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/61c9/07148693f652e2df844e6c9dff1757f01e1f.pdf

https://www.waset.org/publications/10003128/a-review-on-recycled-use-of-solid-wastes-in-building-
materials

http://observers.france24.com/en/20170608-plastic-bottles-become-building-bricks-philippines-hostel-
stuffitchallenge

http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/products/building-blocks-made-from-waste-plastic_s

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