…Over 1.5 Million Plastic Bottles Use
By: Mayen Etim
KADUNA, North-West, Nigeria – The Chief Executive Officer, Developmental Association for Renewable Energy in Nigeria, Engineer Yahaya Ahmed, has said the organization is constructing the biggest plastic bottled house in Africa with over 1.5 million bottles.
He made the disclosure while speaking to the media in Abuja, saying the modern house is resistant to fire, earthquake, bullets and is adapted to climate change.
According to him, they are currently training unemployed youth in the country, on this modern building techniques using plastic bottles, to save the environments.
Engineer Ahmed explained that in every minutes, millions of plastic bottles are bought around the world, but lack of recycling them is a big problem to the environments.
He disclosed further that the new plastic bottled design structure is more stronger than the conventional blocks, because plastic is not biodegradable it can take hundreds of years to disintegrate, hence, constructing a beautiful homes with plastic materials is time consuming and requires technical guide.
He said that plastic bottles can be found anywhere like sidewalks, parks, yards, rivers, streams, refuse dump sites, beverage cans, food wrappers; adding that even if chopped into tiny pieces plastic bottles would take more than a human lifetime to decompose.
“A plastic bottled house can last more than 300 years without shaking. If well constructed it is resistant to fire, bullet, earthquake and could adapt to climate change and desertification.
“Plastics are quickly overtaking other material options for constructing fences, bridges, walkways, and jetties. Using recycled plastics can lower the cost for manufacturers and offer a solution that resists rot and vandalism and is durable in the long-term.
“Plastic bottled house could be constructed anywhere, even on water if a good and adequate foundation is prepared before hand.
“The bottles, even though filled with sand, are waterproof if securely capped. Undertaking such task however need some elementary preparations like source for bottles as well as good or trained manpower to fill the bottles, not anyhow, but as it should be and that require the guidance of a professional from the Centre.
“I must confess that, plastic bottles and bags are the most prevalent form of pollution found on our beaches, oceans, trash dump sites, and there is need to find ways of recycling them.
“This is why we have chosen to recycled them through construction of houses to save lives and the environments,” he said.
Also, a lecturer with the Kaduna Polytechnic, Architect Abuja Mohammed Sani, said they are building the first upstairs in Africa with plastic bottles.
He disclosed that the team hoped to finish the building within six months and assured that the engineers are committed to the task.
He said over 1.5million plastic bottles were gathered for the purpose, and is aimed at introducing to Africa a modern techniques of house construction with plastics.
“We want to design houses that supports the global fight against climate change and environmental degradation. It is also our desire to encourage Nigerian youth to understudy this modern techniques of building houses with plastics,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Director, African Climate Reporters, Dr Piman Hoffman, expressed happiness at the efforts of Nigerian engineers to construct the first Africa’s biggest plastic bottled house in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.
However, he said that the first plastic bottled house in Africa was constructed at Yelwa village, along the Kaduna-Zaria express way, by Engineer Yahaya.
The Assistant Director, said that the large amount of plastics that ended up in the sea can cause damage to the environments, harmful to birds, animals, marine lives, hence the need to encourage more Nigerians into this modern building techniques with plastic bottles.
Hoffman called on the African Union, (AU) to find ways of encouraging entrepreneurs in bringing new ideas of recycling plastic bottles across the continent.
He appealed to NGOs, CSOs and environmentalists to support government in the fight against climate change, desertification, as well as deforestation and environmental degradation.
Hoffman also urged nations that contribute immensely to polluting the world to support organizations and individual’s contribution to reduction on garbages and other trash that is posing environmental and health challenges to both humans, animals and aquatic lives.
“Although the use of recycled bottles and other materials may not always be obvious, they find their ways into many of the products and building materials that we rely on for everything from food to furniture.
“As cities expand and buildings require renovation, construction is a constant growing industry. Plastics are commonly used in building materials, such as flooring, pipes, drainage, and damp proof membrane,” he said.
WELL DONE
Thank you, Paul.