A few weeks ago, Caroline Cooke, Church Secretary at Ruddington Baptist Church, met with me to talk about an inititaive she was interested in engaging our community in, called Ecobricks
Ecobricking is a way of removing single use waste plastic from the environment. Clean and dry waste plastic that can’t otherwise be recycled is cut into small pieces and firmly compressed into a plastic bottle, using a piece of dowelling.
This turns the flimsy bottle into a sturdy “brick,” which can then be used to build various structures.
There are minimum recommended completed weights for different sized-bottles, to make sure the resulting bricks are very firm. It’s essential to compress the plastic well to achieve these weights.
Armed with the theory, I proceeded to make an Ecobrick myself. The one thing that horrified me was the amount of single use plastic we generate in my house!
Various businesses in the village have offered to save their single use plastic products for residents to use to make Ecobricks. Ultimately, the aim is for the bricks to be used in various projects around the village – any ideas are welcome.
If you’d like instructions how to make an Ecobrick, please email me at ruddingtonfun@virginmedia.com.
Barbara Breakwell