Circular brick and mortar: UNICEF to build 500 classrooms from recycled plastic

30 Jul 2019 --- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with Colombian social enterprise Conceptos Plasticos, has broken ground on a “first-of-its-kind” factory that will convert plastic waste collected in and around Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, into modular plastic bricks for sustainable building material. The easily assembled, durable and low-cost bricks will be used in building much needed classrooms in the West African country.

The bricks will be made from 100 percent plastic and are fire resistant, notes UNICEF. Additionally, they are 40 percent cheaper to manufacture than regular bricks, 20 percent lighter and will last “hundreds of years longer” than conventional building materials. They are also waterproof, well insulated and designed to resist heavy wind.

“This factory will be at the cutting edge of smart, scalable solutions for some of the major education challenges that Africa’s children and communities face,” says UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Its potential is threefold: more classrooms for children in Côte d’Ivoire, reduced plastic waste in the environment, and additional income avenues for the most vulnerable families.”

Once it is fully operational, the factory will recycle 9,600 metric tonsof plastic waste a year and provide a source of income to women living in poverty in a formalized recycling market. Nine classrooms have already been built in Gonzagueville, Divo and Toumodi using plastic bricks made in Colombia, demonstrating the viability of the construction methods and materials.

The recycled plastic collected from the nation’s polluted areas will be put towards building 500 classrooms.In total, Côte d'Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms to meet the needs of children without a place to learn. The recycled plastic collected from the nation’s polluted areas will be put towards building 500 classrooms for more than 25,000 children in the next two years, with potential to increase production beyond, the organization states.

“One of the major challenges facing Ivorian school children is a lack of classrooms. They either don’t exist, or when they do, they are overcrowded, making learning a challenging and unpleasant experience,” says UNICEF Representative Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, who has championed the project from its inception. “In certain areas, kindergartners from poor neighborhoods would be able to attend classrooms with less than 100 other students for the first-time. Children who never thought there would be a place for them at school will be able to learn and thrive in a new and clean classroom.”

The bricks and building materials are easy to assemble with minimal training, notes Conceptos Plasticos. For instance, the foundation notes that with these bricks, a house for a family can be built by four people in five days, with little to no experience in construction.

More than 280 metric tons of plastic waste are produced every day in Abidjan alone, according to UNICEF reports. Only about 5 percent is recycled – the rest mostly ends up in landfill sites in low-income communities. Plastic waste pollution exacerbates existing hygiene and sanitation challenges. The organization further asserts that improper waste management is responsible for 60 percent of malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia cases in children – diseases that are among the leading causes of death for children in Côte d'Ivoire.

“We partnered with UNICEF on this project because we want our business model to have a social impact. By turning plastic pollution into an opportunity, we want to help lift women out of poverty and leave a better world for children,” says Isabel Cristina Gamez, Co-Founder and CEO, Conceptos Plasticos.

Alongside investment to build in Côte d’Ivoire, plans are also under way to scale this project to other countries in the region, and potentially beyond. Out of all the world’s children not attending school, West and Central Africa account for one-third of primary school age children (5-11 years old) and one-fifth of lower secondary age children (11-15 years old), according to UNICEF statistics.

“Sometimes, embedded deep within our most pressing challenges are promising opportunities,” said Fore. “This project is more than just a waste management and education infrastructure project; it is a functioning metaphor – the growing challenge of plastic waste turned into literal building blocks for a future generation of children.”

In addition to classrooms, the waste-derived alternative construction materials offer potential for building temporary and permanent homes, shelters, classrooms, community rooms and other buildings.More than 280 metric tons of plastic waste are produced every day in Abidjan alone, according to UNICEF reports.

Ending an era of waste
Heightened consumer demand for a circular economy is fueling innovation in recycling and the availability of recycled plastics, as the stakes are further elevated by increased governmental vigilance across markets. Earlier this month, The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced the results of its Resources and Waste Strategy for England consultations, which included the proposed introduction of a plastics tax that was met by strong public support.

In the 2018 budget, the UK government announced that from April 2022 it would introduce the “world-leading” new tax on the production and import of plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content, subject to consultation.

Similarly, the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive was approved last May. In a bid to tackle marine litter, the 10 single-use products most commonly found on European beaches will be banned within two years.

Last week, Coca-Cola announced continued progress towards its “World Without Waste” goals for recycling, recyclable packaging and the use of recycled materials. The progress includes several brand launches of 100 percent recycled PET bottles and the switch from green to clear bottles for Sprite.

Also this month, with new funding from New Zealand’s Waste Minimisation Fund, Australia-based packaging solutions provider Pact Group announced that it now has the capacity to use up to 100 percent locally sourced recycled polyethylene terephthalate in its food grade packaging.

By Benjamin Ferrer