An anganwadi centre in Assam’s Hailakandi district will be constructed with plastic bottles stuffed with non-biodegradable waste and mud, officials said on Saturday. The anganwadi centre at Singhalla area in Lala block will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3.46 lakh, district Additional Deputy Commissioner R K Dam said.

Apart from the district administration, UNDP, the state education, social welfare, and PWD departments are part of the project, he said. Liquid cement will be used to reinforce the ‘ecobricks’, the plastic bricks stuffed with waste, the official said. The rooms of the earthquake-resilient structure will be ventilated by making holes in the eco-bricks, he added.

As part of the ‘Plastic Borjon Campaign’, the district administration organised a workshop and a rally to generate awareness about how to convert plastic bottles into eco-bricks. The march, conducted in collaboration with the Hailakandi Municipal Board, was flagged off by Dam and saw the participation of children.

Dam told the children, “Next time, you hold a plastic bottle in your hand, try thinking of it not as rubbish to be disposed of, but as the building block for something extraordinary.”

He said the concept of eco-bricks, which originated in Guatemala, turns waste into a robust and affordable building material that simultaneously tackles problems of unemployment, waste, and lack of housing. Ecobricks represent a different approach to waste management as plastic recycling is an energy-intensive, polluting business often involving long-distance transportation, he said.

The district administration has already set up ‘plastic banks’ where citizens can deposit single-use plastic items, which could be turned into eco-bricks, Dam added.

Source: PTI