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1172 days ago

Eco-Bricks

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean Rotorua

What is an Eco-brick?
An eco-brick is a plastic bottle packed with shredded, single-use, non-recyclable plastics, compressed to a required density to create a reusable building block. They are a sustainable way to reusenon-biodegradable plastic waste as they are regarded as a long-lasting and durable material.

Eco-bricks = a low energy solution to keeping plastic out of the ecosystem!

What is the purpose of an eco-brick?
Making an eco-brick can be a tedious and time-consuming project (but great to do whilst watching TV!) and the purpose of it is to make you responsible for your own plastic waste and encourage you to reduce your own consumption.

The aim is to help you cut down on what you’re buying and ultimately produce less waste whilst creating something beneficial for yourself or the community!

What goes into the eco-brick?
The most important thing about an eco-brick is that the contents are CLEAN and DRY before they get stuffed. The reason for this is to prevent any bacteria or mould forming inside, which will undo all your hard work as they will not be validated!

You can put inside an eco-brick:
Potato chip, biscuit, cake packets etc.
Stretchy plastic e.g., carrier bags, bread bags, clingfilm etc.
Pasta/rice packets
Packaging – bubble wrap/plastic envelopes
Styrofoam/polystyrene
Hard plastic – meat trays, flowerpots etc (however, hard plastics will need to be cut up into much smaller pieces than soft plastic to allow you to reach the weight requirements)

What can I make with an eco-brick?
The most common personal projects are footstools! They can be as small or as large as you want, you can be creative with the bottle bottom colours to make a cool pattern or cover them in some fabric to make a decorative piece around the house!

There are other smaller projects you can make, like doorstops for example! I am personally taking inspiration from this one found on Pinterest:

Ok, so how do I make one?
It is very simple! The picture below shows you how in 5 simple steps. The key is to just keep stuffing until you can’t any more! With time and patience, your brick will come to life.

More messages from your neighbours
1 hour ago

Stay sun-safe and well-read this spring

Sunday Star Times

Longer days and warmer weather are fast approaching!

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1 hour ago

Neighbourly's Online Spring Garage Sale

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

On Saturday, 28th of September we'll be holding an online garage sale and you are invited - both to score some bargains and to sell your wares!

The sun is starting to shine and perhaps you're ready to part with your winter goods, get involved by listing your goods ahead of Saturday's event. And come back on Saturday to find new treasures.

List your items now. Head to Market.

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3 days ago

Here's Thursday's thinker!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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