News Are plastic construction blocks a good idea?

[ralphc1]

This company is turning heaps of plastic trash into construction building blocks

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/03/business/byfusion-waste-plastic-blocks/index.html
Finding uses for plastics seems like a great idea but I don't know if using plastic block in place of concrete block in housing is a good idea. One of the advantages to using concrete blocks is that they aren't flammable. The company who makes the machines that make these blocks points out that we use wood, which is also flammable, to build houses. Poured concrete homes are built using plastic foam blocks that the concrete is poured into so the concrete that won't burn is encased in a flammable product. Both the plastic blocks and the foam forms will produce toxic fumes when burned. The advantages to plastic they point out is that plastic blocks are lighter than concrete and easier to build with. They use an interlocking method similar to Lego.

They might be good to use underground for foundations or even landscape block or retaining walls. There are also companies making paving blocks from plastic and sand but their lighter weight might be a problem in such applications.

 

[TheTimeIsNotNow]

Wont the heat turn the inside of your house into some sort of cancer chemical death box?

 

[plataoplombo]

Not sold in the idea as far as housing goes. Maybe they can be used as light weight temporary offices or something.

 

[Uber_Noober]

A new investment opportunity for @Danger Dave

 

[Otto!]

I’d be ok with using this to build a shed, but not a house.

 

[syct23]

They should use those blocks to build ports around the world, the ocean could use some more plastic..

 

[Tone C]

A new investment opportunity for @Danger Dave

Who ?

 

[My name is]

Guess we will find out when people apply for loans on them

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

Imagine half million dollar houses build from garbage.

 

[Iron Mang]

There has to be some useful way to use recycled plastic on a mass scale that we haven't figured out yet. Using to make shelter or buildings is a good idea, but like others have mentioned the potential for a health disaster is high and is flammable. Unless there is another step in the process where the bricks are treated with an anti-flammable coating, then this idea just misses the mark.

Too bad it couldn't be turned into some type of fuel that does not destroy our atmosphere and be extremely hazardous to breathe. That is probably another area to make use of all the abundance of plastic.

 

[Fedorgasm]

Imagine the pain of stepping on one of those in the middle of the night.

 

[Renard]

The point of concrete in construction projects is compressive strength to take heavy loads. This has a lot less. It's also unclear how well they'll hold up; you can already see bits of plastic flaking off as they place them in the video. Plastics degrade and shed micro plastics in the environment as they come in contact with the elements; it's very doubtful the structural integrity would hold.

Then there's the issue of safety. The plastic blocks have an even lower ignition point than wood, and a building on fire made out of these will releasing carcinogenic toxic vapours in the entire neighbourhood, also exposing firefighters to even more toxic fumes as part of their job. Plastic smoke destroys the lungs in a way that burning wood doesn't - you're screwed for life even if you escape the flames.

That's assuming making a whole building made out of petrochemicals and breathing that in all day long isn't going to give you novel forms of cancer already. Concrete blocks are also very cheap. I guarantee you these blocks are more expensive. It's not even good to send to third-world countries. For starters they're already under a larger burden of pollution (soil, air, microplastics) than westerners. All you'd be doing is putting them under an even larger burden.

But hey, buy our totally useless overpriced plastic block that will give you cancer to SAvE tHe pLanET. Or we could start using less single-use plastic in the first place so we don't need to create totally retarded dangerous products to justify their existence. It's no fluke the construction project they choose to showcase is a shed. Probably the only thing people will accept to build with it, if they have a brain.

 

[dirtypablo]

There has to be some useful way to use recycled plastic on a mass scale that we haven't figured out yet. Using to make shelter or buildings is a good idea, but like others have mentioned the potential for a health disaster is high and is flammable. Unless there is another step in the process where the bricks are treated with an anti-flammable coating, then this idea just misses the mark.

Too bad it couldn't be turned into some type of fuel that does not destroy our atmosphere and be extremely hazardous to breathe. That is probably another area to make use of all the abundance of plastic.

A much simpler solution would be for humanity to stop using so much plastic.

 

[Belaya Smert]

This is gonna take off as soon as the Earth Ship people get on board.

 

[NoSmilez]

I think it is fine for certain environments and they keep the projects to single floors. A shed or an outdoor extension shouldn't be a big issue.

They aren't building houses with only plastic. It's a 70/30 mix.

 

[The Big Yin]

This has been doing the rounds ever since Lego was invented and ultimately won't work.

It's ok for emergency/temp shelters or storage facilities but houses made of brick/concrete or wood are actually cheaper and flexible in terms of plastering, insulating, running wiring plumbing etc. Plus the fire side of things would be catastrophic.

 

[Spounman]

Wont the heat turn the inside of your house into some sort of cancer chemical death box?

Yes, I would think so. It would be like living inside a porta potty

 

[DaleBoca]

You just need one Tong Po and he’ll kick down the entire building!

 

[Plutoburn]

There are already many low cost construction methods, I think pre-fab or 3d printing house has more potential than this.

 

[GSP_37]

I don't trust plastic to not crumble after several years.