Plastic-conscious Newark woman urges others to adopt climate-friendly attitude to stop plastics going to landfill
A woman who is passionate about a scheme that offers a long-term purpose for single-use plastics has urged others to join in.
Alexandra Abraham, of Newark, has started making ecobricks — plastic bottles stuffed tightly with single-use plastics, which can then be re-purposed in a variety of ways.
It is her latest attempt to do her bit to prevent single-use plastics going into landfill.
Earlier this year Alexandra decided to take a stand by leaving food packaging at supermarket checkouts.
She was inspired by a BBC documentary series about the problem of plastic waste.
Now she has taken her mission one step further, by making ecobricks to use up every scrap of single-use plastic that she can.
And she is calling on anyone else who wants to do the same to join her for a workshop on Monday to learn how to go about it.
The workshop will take place at Carriages Café, at Newark Castle Station, from 6.30pm, and is free to attend.
Café owner Wendy Baird said Carriages did everything it could to operate sustainably, and was glad to be able to host the workshop.
Alexandra said: “They are wholeheartedly behind it.”
An ecobrick is a building block made entirely from unrecyclable plastic. It is created by filling a plastic bottle with clean, dry plastic until it is packed tightly and can be used as a building block.
Plastic that can go into ecobricks includes plastic bags, photo paper, crisp packets, sweet wrappers, food containers, straws, plastic cutlery, cling film, and fruit and vegetable packaging.
Ecobricks can be used in all sorts of sustainable building projects, which means they can be used to dispose of plastic waste that would otherwise end up in landfill and oceans.
As the plastic in an ecobrick is very durable and will never break down, is makes an ideal building material.
They are used in developing countries to construct furniture and even buildings, and also used in the UK to build children’s playgrounds.
As you see how much rubbish you put in an ecobrick, you will see how much you are throwing away, which can help you cut down on what you are buying and ultimately produce less waste.
“Keep a bag by your sink,” Alexandra said. “You will be stunned how much plastic you collect.”
The biggest advantage of ecobricks is they take something that would otherwise have a negative impact on the environment, and turn it into something that benefits communities.
Alex said making ecobricks took time and commitment.
“The plastic needs cutting into fragments, stuffing down the neck of the bottle, and pressing until it is full and compact,” she said.
“You should be able to stand on the bottle with barely a dent.
“It is laborious, tedious and hard work, but well worth it if we can stop this stuff from polluting the planet.”
Full bottles are registered with a unique number, and marked with their weight.
She hopes families, schools and groups will get involved, and that Monday’s workshop will be the springboard to create something made from ecobricks in Newark.
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