Upcycled Classroom Built Using Bricks Made From Plastic Waste

This classroom was built with bricks made from plastic waste.

This classroom was built using bricks made from plastic waste.

UNICEF partnered with for-profit recycling co. Conceptos Plásticos with plans to construct 528 classrooms by transforming plastic pollution into bricks. They’re currently building in the city of Adibjan, which produces 288 tons of plastic waste every day. Only 5% of the waste is recycled.

The initiative was inspired by The Fighting Women, a local group of 200 women who sift through landfills and sell the plastic they find. Conceptos Plásticos reportedly plans to “buy plastic from about 1,000 women in its first year of operation.”

The upcycled plastic classrooms cost approximately $14,500, compared to $16,500 for a cement classroom. Conceptos Plásticos expects prices to drop 20% when its products are made locally. The classrooms planned for construction are expected to serve approximately 26,400 students.