Recycling Mexico's Junk Plastic Into Affordable Homes Ruth Reader - Tech.Mic
go to original January 24, 2016

Eco Domum (Fondeadora)

Mexico's struggle with collecting and disposing of trash has long been documented. It's not just city streets that are littered with trash; picturesque beachfronts gleam with debris as well. A variety of initiatives have been born out of Mexico's garbage problem, including a way to make fuel from waste, but the problem still persists. Now, someone has found a way to turn Mexico's public health problem into a source of housing for the country's poorest residents.

A sample of Eco Domum's pressed plastic. (Eco Domum)

The company called Eco Domum, or Eco Home, is based in Puebla, Mexico. Founder Carlos Daniel González collects, sorts and melts down non-toxic plastics into a liquid, according to Unreasonable. That sludge is then put into a hydraulic press, which forms the plastic into hardened panels. It takes two tons of plastic to make one house. At scale, González's plastic houses could put a sizable dent in Mexico's plastic trash.

Houses range in size from 430 square feet to 460 square feet and contain a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. Each one requires about 80 panels and takes seven days to build ... a family could have one of Eco Domum's houses for 5,000 pesos or $273.

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