NON-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS USED IN CONSTRUCTION 1

It is amazing that we generate more and more non-biodegradable wastes with little or no result in the processes that help eradicate or better still utilize them in other forms so they don't become dangerous to the health of the general public. Many researchers have worked in this line giving other uses of plastic bottles. Some have tried shredding with are used as replacements for coarse aggregate in concrete mix. How effective has this been? In my opinion, it has only helped in solving about 20% of the problem of recycling this wastes. My reason is there are factors to be considered in analyzing these processes effectively which includes cost of shredding, time for shredding and processes involved as some of these can be hazardous to the health of those involved. Cuts and injuries might be sustained and even worse experiences. However, with the recent research on usage or reuse of plastic bottles, its usage in construction cannot be overemphasized.

SOURCES

There are stakeholders in the recycling of these wastes with different roles which includes

GOVERNMENT

To sensitize the general public on the dangers of careless disposal of these plastic wastes, indecent burning of plastic wastes which leads to the emission of gaseous pollutants that are dangerous to human health.

To provide adequate waste disposal mechanisms that are specifically designed to encourage waste collection in different categories, which means organic and inorganic wastes can be separated and collected accordingly

Provision of institutions where researchers can adequately and conveniently do thorough research and come up with methods to better recycle or reuse these wastes.

Other roles to be performed in ensuring that the wastes are properly harnessed and processed lies in the hands of the general public to ensure that due rules and regulations are duely followed to details.

Several research on the reuse of plastic bottle has been made over the years but the one that particularly caught me is the reuse of these materials as alternative construction materials which saves cost, saves the community and also provides as much stability for safe living.

Many researchers as mentioned earlier have tried shredding the plastic bottles and using them as replacements for aggregates in the concrete mix, so also some have tried using the sandfill method by filling the plastic bottles with soil and then compacted under normal civil engineering condition which entails filling in the sand in 3 layers at blows per layer, and then placed just like the conventional masonry blocks using cement mortar.

I just concluded a research on using lateritic soil and granite fines as the infill materials for the plastic bottle.

In my next post, I will share my results and findings...

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