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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
In the Mexican state of Puebla, an unusual method has been found to simultaneously combat plastic pollution and the shortage of affordable housing. EcoDom recycles used plastic into strong building panels, from which a house can be erected in about seven days. For a dwelling of about 40 square meters, roughly two tons of plastic waste are needed.
Mexican entrepreneur Jorge Gonzalez grew up in Puebla, where from childhood he watched the problem of plastic waste accumulation. What he saw motivated him to create a business that would help the environment and people who cannot afford decent housing.
Thus, EcoDom appeared, a company that specializes in recycling plastic into building materials.
Mexico is among the largest consumers of plastic in the world. Each year the country generates more than 5 million tons of plastic waste. At the same time, a significant portion of the population lives in poverty and lacks access to quality and safe housing.
Gonzalez decided to combine these two problems. His company collects used plastic, sorts it, and removes materials that can release toxic substances when heated.
After that, the selected plastic is shredded into small pieces. It is then placed in industrial furnaces where the material is heated to 350 degrees Celsius.
After approximately 30 minutes, the melted plastic is moved to a hydraulic press. Under pressure it is transformed into large building panels about 2,4 meters long, 1,2 meters wide and 2,5 centimeters thick.
The plant in Puebla produces about 120 panels daily, processing tons of material that otherwise could end up in landfills or in bodies of water.
According to EcoDom's founder, a house of about 40 square meters requires roughly 80 panels. Such housing can include two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.
The house itself, according to Gonzalez, can be built in about seven days, using about two tons of plastic.
The entrepreneur also emphasizes the durability of the material. In his words, the panels retain heat well, are inexpensive, and can serve for decades.
Social housing
EcoDom operates not only as a usual construction company. Its panels are purchased by local authorities and non-governmental organizations that implement subsidized housing programs.
The cost of panels depends on their purpose. A roofing panel costs about 600 Mexican pesos, an exterior wall panel — 650 pesos, and an interior panel — about 500 pesos.
Within government housing programs, poor families that meet the established criteria can receive a ready two-bedroom house for about 5000 Mexican pesos.
The first large-scale municipal project the company implemented was in Waushinango in Puebla state. There the authorities ordered panels for building 500 extensions to rooms, each with an area of about 12,5 square meters.
Subsequently EcoDom was involved in building 150 separate houses in Chicomeautl. The area of each was about 42,7 square meters.
Another similar contract for 150 houses the company concluded with the government of Puatlan.
Help for waste collectors
The project also has another social effect — it creates additional earnings for informal waste collectors.
In Mexico, such workers traditionally receive very little for the plastic they collect. In some cases they are paid about 1,5 pesos per kilogram.
EcoDom offered local collectors more favorable purchase terms. As a result, some of them managed to almost double their incomes.
At the same time, the company gets a steady supply of raw materials. The plant can take about 5,5 tons of plastic daily, which would otherwise end up in landfills and then enter the production cycle.
According to data cited by Unreasonable Group, only a small fraction of plastic waste is recycled or otherwise kept out of landfills worldwide. Each year millions of tons of plastic end up in the oceans, and some synthetic materials can take hundreds of years to decompose.
Plans for scaling up
Gonzalez plans to expand production in Puebla and sign new contracts with Mexican authorities.
In the future, the entrepreneur wants to expand the EcoDom model beyond the country — primarily to states that simultaneously face plastic pollution and a shortage of affordable housing.
According to him, next year the company plans to increase its scale roughly tenfold. At first, the focus will be on the Mexican market, and over the next three to five years they want to enter markets in other countries.
In this way, the EcoDom model aims to turn plastic waste from an environmental problem into a resource for construction. At the same time it creates additional income sources for waste collectors and helps local authorities implement affordable housing programs.
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