BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Water bottles, soda bottles, seltzer bottles. Stuff them with even more plastic, like grocery bags and candy wrappers, Nathan Gray says, and you can use them to build an entire house.
They're called EcoBricks, and Gray told WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal they're a tool, not trash.
"I've heard of so many cities dropping their recycling programs, and it's just an innovative way to just essentially create an entire new path for recycling," he said.
He didn't invent the concept, but he's building on the idea—literally. He and his Newbury-based nonprofit, House Factory, are constructing "an affordable and sustainable small home with 7,000 'bricks'" in Newbury.
"I have a brother-in-law who lives in the UK, and he saw this happening in his worldly travels and mentioned it," he said. "We started to build one there with our family, and it was incredible how much plastic fit inside of a water bottle."
No, your home won't crinkle in high wind.
Gray said the bricks can be used to insulate new construction and build furniture. He even visits schools to explain the concept; the material for the bricks comes from "school cafeterias, businesses, families and city's collection bins," according to his blog.
Regal went to Gray's Beverly workshop to see the EcoBricks firsthand. See what they look like below:
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WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports
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