From waste to architecture: the facilitation and integration of recycled plastic waste as a construction method in the built environment

Abstract

The high productivity and low biodegradation of plastics within the consumerist market has led to an abundance of waste material. The disproportionate relationship of waste creation versus waste management systems particularly within developing countries, has resulted in the adoption of dumping sites and landfills as a primary waste disposal method. This decision is inherently unsustainable due to limited capacity of allocated sites, and subsequent environmental consequences to fauna and flora ecosystems due to the burial of material with lifespans greater than centuries. The material properties of waste material, particularly plastics and polymer-based products, provide potential use within the built environment due to range of structural, thermal, and aesthetic properties that can be achieved. The introduction of plastic waste as a building material would challenge preconceptions of what is possible with waste material, injecting financial incentive within recycling economies, and developing the recycling culture.