A construction company in Canada has created a new way to turn plastic waste into environmentally friendly housing. Nova Scotia-based JD Composites, led by Joel German and David Saulnier, have built a three-bedroom home looking over the Meteghan River from more than 600,000 plastic water bottles.
Plastic bottles are shredded, melted, shaped into slabs and made into walls for the house
JD Composites
The water bottles are shredded and heated to form plastic pellets and placed into a hopper, where they were treated with gases that melted them into a foam. When cooled, the foam becomes incredibly durable and is both rot and mildew-resistant. This process is performed by a separate company called Armacell, based in Brampton, Ontario. German and Saulnier then use the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) panels to create the 5.9-inch-thick walls of the environmentally friendly house.
In addition to utilizing single-use plastic waste that might have otherwise ended up in a landfill or worse, the ocean, the new material is also able to withstand the worst weather mother nature can throw at it. The hardened foam is covered by a thin fiberglass layer on both the interior and exterior of the home and UV-resistant paint is used to protect the material from sunlight.
“The building is extremely safe, there is no chance of any off gassing, and all the fire codes have been surpassed,” German told Forbes. “The weight strength ratios are literally through the roof strong for snow loads and the strength of the shell itself is something comparable to concrete.”
According to local news affiliate, CBC News, only four major companies in the world are using this material and German and JD Composites is the only one that’s using it in this way. Before construction began, a sample panel was tested in a wind tunnel for endurance and it was discovered that it could withstand 326 mph winds – that’s twice as strong as a category 5 hurricane.
Joel German, David Saulnier (L-R) and tiny bits of shredded plastic that forms the first stage of the process
Brett Ruskin/CBC
The company plans to list the home for sale, but will rent it on Airbnb if it can’t find a buyer. The full listing is on the Press Realty site and it’s worth taking a look, because not only is the house gorgeous, but the location is stunning. There’s also a very effective virtual tour through the property.
“We listed the home for $490,000, we think there’s a possibility it will sell, however, being our first home we would like to continue renting it so we can keep doing testing with the home through the 4 seasons,” German said. “The plan is to raise some capital through investment and build more homes or make a partnerships through licensing agreements and train people on how to use the technology while supplying them the panels of raw state core foam. We strongly believe the idea will catch on.”