About Project
We got an idea about the concept of Ecobrick in March 2020. We did one year of research on that in which we got to know the persons living in Delhi NCR who are working in this.
By March 2021 we collaborated with Enactus JMC and started making Ecobricks.
What is the project about
An ecobrick is a PET bottle packed solid with clean and dry plastics, meaning it’s a
plastic bottle packed with used plastic to set density and to prevent the growth of bacteria.
We collaborated with Enactus JMC to build a public toilet out of Ecobrick in Delhi for slum women. The project is going on and our aim is to make 2000 ecobricks made out of 1 litre plastic bottles and non recyclable clean & dry plastic waste.
Why we need this
Project Ecobrick caters as a single solution to this three-fold problem. It helps to eradicate the problem of non recyclable plastic waste which generally goes to landfill. Also it allows every individual who uses plastic for his personal use, to act on their plastic waste and upscale it to something more useful.
We generate employment and empower the slum womens by training them on how to make ecobricks. This not only support their livelihood, but also increases their employability.
The Ecobricks made has many practical applications like apart using them to make structures it can also be used to create stools, seats, tables and various other things for household purposes.
What problems are we solving ?
- Plastic Waste scenario : According to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, India generates 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. The only way to solve this problem is the person/family/community who generates this waste, takes initiative to reduce its plastic waste.
- Lack of skilled women labour: Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (2019-20) shows female labour force participation at 22.8 percent, compared to a far higher 56.8 percent for men. The data shows that women’s presence in the workforce dropped to 16.9 percent following the first year of the pandemic, while for men it remained largely the same.
- PET bottles waste : According to industry data, more than 14 lakh tonnes of PET plastics are consumed annually in India, even with the world’s highest recycling rate of 80 per cent. About 2.8 lakh tonnes of plastic bottles waste never gets collected.
What we get after installing or doing this
- We trained more than 20 slum women on how to make ecobricks. Ecobrick making can be done from their home itself, so during COVID it became a good source of extra income.
- They became skilled and hence this project itself promotes Women empowerment.
- Our Team member organised several cleanliness drives in Noida, where we picked up the plastic from streets & parks lying there for several days or even months, cleaned it and used it in Ecobrick making.
- Volunteers learnt a lot of things of managing operational costs, planning to pick huge sums of plastic, convincing people and mall authorities to give their plastic.
Feedback from people:
- A lot of NGO’s like Humara Kartavy and schools like GRADS International school & Earth Paradise school started making Ecobrick by seeing our sessions, videos etc.
- Societies, malls and market areas collected their clean plastic waste and started giving it to us.
- Many children got connected with this project and they started making Ecobrick by their own.
- JB put a stall and made products like small stool, flower pot, bench, dustbin from Ecobricks and it was showcased to public in Ghaziabad.
Collaboration
- We collaborated with Enactus JMC to supply them 2000 Ecobricks for their Project Sugam which aims to make public toilet made out of Ecobrick.
- We collaborated with Myloktantra to provide us the group of self help ladies which will make our Ecobricks.
- We came in contact with several malls, recyclers, societies and our efficient volunteers who provided us with the bottles and plastic waste.
IMPACT OF PROJECT:
Plastic waste collected from March 2021 to April 2022 :
100 kattas of plastic waste collected equals to 245 kg upcycled in Ecobrick making
(1 katta of plastic involving packaging, LDP plastic equals to 2.7 kg of weight)
Plastic bottles collected from March 2021 to April 2022 :
900 PET bottles waste of 1 litre collected from Rajasthan, Noida, Greater Noida, Delhi
Women Empowered or trained = more than 20
More than 300 hours of volunteering happened
Ecobrick sitting bench
Ecobrick sitting stool
Ecobrick Dustbin
