Kerala techies turn plastic waste to bricks

Taking inspiration from plastic roads, a group of engineering graduates in Kerala have come up with an innovative idea to manage plastic waste. The team developed a unique product which can be manufactured from waste plastic and locally available materials - plastic bricks.
 

A group, which graduated from Model Engineering College, Thrikkakkara, took inspiration from Ahmad Khan, from Ivory Coast in Uganda, who made plastic bricks which can be used in road construction. "We took the prototype to civil engineering department of Cochin University (CUSAT) to test strength and quality. Our model passed all recommended tests like water absorption test, compressive strength test and flexural test," team member Kevin Jacob said. The product got certification from the civil engineering wing of CUSAT. 
 

The brick was made from plastic waste and some local ingredients. "It was the ingredients and methods used for its preparation that made it stronger, more durable than ordinary brick and less water absorbent," Manyu J Varma said.
 

Most of the team members had got into IT industry, after completing their course, with a good package, but the thirst for innovation forced them to quit their jobs. 
 

"It is possible to make 2, 400 bricks from five tonnes of plastic. The bricks can be used to make footpaths and paving roads. We are trying to make some improvements to make them fit to construct buildings," Jacob said. 
 

Kerala generates 6,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day and Kochi is the top contributor with over 45, 000 tonnes of metric waste produced annually. 
 

The team dreams about a machine that will eat all plastic waste and generate bricks that can be used for various purposes. 

• plastic brick
• plastic waste
• CUSAT
• plastic road