Aurangabad’s Namita Kapale and Kalyani Bharmbe have built an eco-friendly house using 16,000 plastic water bottles.
The friends have used cow dung, soil, plastic bottles, and 12-13 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic to construct this.
Their quest to build this house started in 2021 when they saw how a Guwahati school had been making students’ seats using plastic bottles.
So, they started collecting plastic bottles lying on the streets, from garbage collectors, hotels, and grocery shops.
“Many people labelled us bhangar wali, plastic wali, and bottle wali (junk dealers). But after our work started getting recognition, we started getting respect,” says Namita.
The plastic bottles they collected were stuffed into plastic bags, the excess air was removed, and the bottle was packed.
The bricks made of plastic bottles were stacked on top of each other, the wall was plastered with soil and dung, and the roof was built using bamboo and wood.
The duo has named their eco-friendly house ‘Wawar’, which means a farm or an open space that people often visit.
Their house comprises two square-shaped rooms which are partially open, and one round hut. It does not require ACs in summer or heaters in winter.
Compared to cement houses, which cost Rs 1,300 per sq ft in construction, these mud and plastic houses cost half the amount, she claims.