Ecobricks are a simple, low-tech solution to our plastic that follows the Earth’s ancient example in carbon care. Without the need for petro-power or capital ecobricks enable us to take personal responsibility for the plastic that we’ve consumed by keeping it out of industry and out of the biosphere. Ecobricks put our plastic to good use in short and long term applications that are circular, awaring and a greening contribution to the biosphere.
An ecobrick is a PET bottle packed solid with clean and dry used plastic. Ecobricks are made to a set density to create reusable building blocks that sequester plastic. Ecobricks terminally reduce the net surface area of packed plastic to effectively secure it from degrading into toxins and microplastics and put plastic on safe and secure thousand year journey out of industry and out of the biosphere. Ecobricks can be put to short term use in modular units, lego-furniture and open spaces. Ecobrick can also be put to long-term use in earthen gardens and structures. In their making and in all their applications ecobrick’s embody regenerative principles and an ayyew vision that is based on Earthen Ethics – the following of the Earth’s ancient example in our care of carbon.
Ecobricking is a both an individual and collaborative endeavour. It unites across class, continents and cultures around the shared intention of caring for the local and global biosphere. The personal ecobricking process raise awareness of the consequences of consumption and the dangers of plastic to accelerate plastic transition. The collaborative process gives individual and communities an hands on experience of regenerative living and points in the direction of other regenerative technologies, such as earth building and permaculture.
Ecobricking Standards
The Global Ecobrick Alliance (GEA) advocates ecobricking as means of petro-capital transition and plastic sequestration. The GEA maintains standards for ecobricking that are divided into six categories based on the GEA’s six criteria for plastic sequestration. The GEA ecobrick standards ensure that the criteria of plastic sequestration have been met and that our ecobriking is in line with the Earth’s example of greening the biosphere.
An ecobrick must…
- Be a short-term building block that can be indefinitely reused in the short term.
- Compact, secured and store plastic safely out of industry and out of the biosphere for the long-term
- Result in more plastic and CO2 being subtracted from the biosphere than was added by the process
- Raise the individual and collective ecological consciousness of those involved in the process
- Contributing to the maintenance and encouragement of biodiversity
- Be created with the priority of biosphere benefit
Plastic that has been packed according to these standards and authenticated as such is considered by the GEA as a valuable ecological contribution. The GEA maintains the Brikcoin blockchain and the GoBrik platform to enable the authentication of ecobricks according to these standards. Authentication results in commodification of authenticated ecobricked plastic.
Currently, the GEA recognizes three types of ecobricks, regular ecobricks, cigbricks and ocean ecobricks. See below the technical standards for each type of ecobrick. Ecobricking standards were developed by ecobrickers around the world and have been refined and are maintained by the GEA.
Learn more about the criteria of plastic sequestration.
Learn more about the Earth’s Example
Regular Ecobricks
Normal ecobricks are made with any size of transparent PET plastic bottle. The bottle and the packed plastic are clean and dry to prevent the growth of bacteria. Typically, ecobrickers use a wood or bamboo stick to manually pack plastic into the plastic bottle. Plastic is cut or ripped into small pieces then packed little by little, alternating between adding the plastic and compacting it, layer by layer. The bottle is rotated with each press to ensure the plastic is evenly compacted throughout the bottle. This helps prevent voids and that the packing reaches the requisite solidity needed for a building block applications.
Completed ecobricks are packed solid enough that they can bear the weight of a person without deforming and to prohibit easy flammability while increasing its durability and re-usability.
To be an ecobrick, the following standards must be met:
- The ecobrick is made using a transparent PET bottle
- The ecobrick is only packed with used plastics that have been cleaned and dried..
- The ecobrick’s density is higher than 0.33g/ml
- The ecobrick must have a density of 0.70g/ml or less
- The ecobrick is sealed tight with a screw down lid.
- Care has been taken taken to prepare the ecobrick as a reusable building block:
- The label has been removed and ecobricked.
- A bottom color has been added
- The weight has been permanently recorded on the outside.
Only ecobricks that meet these standards can be authenticated and count as sequestered plastic.
Cigbricks
Cigbricks are a new class of ecobrick design to transform the habit of smoking and the acetate from the cigarette filter into a personal and environmental solution. Cigbricks are made exclusively from the packed acetate filters of cigarette butts (with the paper removed).
To be a Cigbrick the following standards must be met:
- A density higher than 0.29 g/ml
- A maximum density of 0.70g/ml
- Are only packed with acetate cigarette butts – the paper and ash have been removed..
- The cigbrick is sealed tight with a screw down lid.
- Care has been taken taken to prepare the cigbrick as a reuseable building block:
- The label has been removed and ecobricked.
- A bottom color has been added
- The weight has been recorded on the outside.
Only cigbricks that meet these standards can be authenticated and count as sequestered plastic.
Ocean Ecobricks
The Ocean Ecobrick is a class of ecobrick designed for plastics found on beaches, rivers and in the ocean. These plastics tend to be large, chunky, dirty, and wet and are not suited to make a regular ecobrick. The Ocean Ecobrick technique enables these plastics to be easily transformed into a practical, useful, and reusable building block.
To be an Ocean Ecobrick the following standards must be met:
- A density higher than 0.25 g/ml
- A maximum density of 0.70 g/ml
- Are packed with as much plastic as possible
- Is sealed tight.
- Care has been taken taken to prepare the ocean ecobrick as a reuseable building block:
- The label has been removed and ecobricked.
- A bottom color has been added
- The weight has been recorded on the outside.
Only ocean ecobricks that meet these standards can be authenticated and count as sequestered plastic.
Learn more about Ocean Ecobricks
Learn More
We’ve developed extensive, free and open source resource to get you started ecobricking right! Our goal is to empower you and your community with the know-how to make ecobricks and build with them. The pages on this site are the result of years of research, experimentation and trial and error by our trainer network around the world.
Plastic Sequestration
Ecobricking is a form of plastic sequestration – it secures plastics out of the biosphere and accelerates plastic transition.
Earthen Ways
Ecobricking is based on the Earth’s tried, tested and true ways of caring for its carbon to cultivate and green the planet’s biosphere.
Circular Design
Ecobricks are a deep solution to plastic as they apply regenerative, circular principles. All GEA ecobrick applications are 100% cradle-to-cradle.
Why Ecobrick?
Ecobricks keep plastic & C02 out of the biosphere. Ecobricks raise ecological consciousness. And more!
Regenerative
Ecobricking is a what we call a regenerative technology. Rather than “sustaining” the status quo, we’re careful that everything we do re-greens rather than greys.
