'The Plastic Bottle Village’ is just the sort of
innovative idea that might eventually save the Earth from drowning in
plastic. It’s a planned 83-acre community in Panama that, as the name
suggests, is going to be entirely built out of discarded plastic
bottles.
Located on Isla Colón, in the Bocas del Toros province, The Plastic
Bottle Village will include approximately 120 homes of varying sizes.
The design process begins with building frames of rebar and steel mesh,
which are then filled with used plastic bottles. Once this step is
complete, and various electrical and plumbing lines are inserted, the
plastic walls are covered by concrete – both inside and out.
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So the finished homes look just like conventional ones, and no one will
actually be able to tell that the walls are made of plastic. What’s
more, the unusual choice of construction material will keep the house a
considerable 17°C cooler than the temperature outside. The homes also
come equipped with a septic tank system, standard windows, doors, and an
exterior sidewalk.
The Village is the brainchild of Robert Bezeau, who moved to Bocas from
Canada many years ago with the intention of setting up several
environmental projects. Having started a recycling program in 2012,
during which a staggering number of plastic bottles were collected, he
started to think of how they could be put to use. Soon enough, he
decided to use them to build houses, and came up with a basic idea for
the construction process. He is now collaborating with top architecture
firms across Panama as a part of the project.
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Over 10,000 plastic bottles were used to built the first prototype
building, which was completed late last year. The bottles were obtained
from the same recycling project that Robert had set up. The next home is
expected to be bigger, and will hence need more bottles to build.
According to the Plastic Bottle Village website, “The project will be
built in three phases, stretching across 83 acres of hilltop partial
ocean view lots, and secluded jungle lots. Phase one has begun late
2015, with the construction of the community’s first, simple single
story two bd. home. The second model home in the project will commence
early 2016.”
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The “re-constructed” homes – which will be offered in three standard
models as well as custom designed ones – will be sold on request for
anywhere between $149,000 and $300,000. The community will also feature
other facilities such as an eco-lodge, gardens, mini-parks, and more.
“At the Plastic Bottle Village, we inspire to bring together a
collective of minds and bodies, to work together to create awareness,
and to take part in educating the world, to the positive effects of
re-using eco building with recycled materials,” the website states.
The website goes on to explain that a staggering 22,000 plastic bottles
are discarded across the world per second. While all these bottles
obviously cannot be converted into homes, the project hopes to raise
awareness of the colossal waste that these bottles create. “The Plastic
Bottle Village’s goal is to create an education center that will teach
individuals from different parts of the planet, how to reuse plastic
bottles as construction materials for shelter,” the website adds.
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You could contribute to the innovative project as well, through their
GoFundMe page, where they hope to raise $500,000.
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