Determining the feasibility of using PET bottles as construction material in urban context

Abstract

In today's time, processing of non-biodegradable material has become a major environmental concern. The lack of organized disposal of these wastes has contributed to the accumulation of heaps in densely populated urban areas. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles form the major composition in solid waste and thrown away after consumption. In many developing countries PET bottles are used in construction, mainly as fill-in material in concrete or adobe walls. India is one among many developing countries to face plethora of problems in terms of environment pollution associated with solid waste (SW) generation. Reusing plastic bottles as building materials can save embodied energy by using them instead of bricks in walls and decrease pollution in cement manufacturing by lowering the percentage of cement utilized.This paper intends to investigate the application of plastic bottles as one of the urban wastes for building construction and that how it can lead to sustainable development in the context of thickly populated urban slums in cities. It also highlights the advantages of using plastic bottles in construction over conventional materials in terms of time of execution, cost, load capacity, flexibility, reducing waste and energy efficiency. The study results in analyzing the feasibility of using PET bottles as a building material in South Canara region determining the plastic waste and proposing the types of construction for slum housing. The future study may focus on making this proposed method economically viable, as well as delivering affordable homes to urban poor in India.