Today’s Solutions: May 17, 2026

Water bottles are a major pollutant of our world, but communities around the world are finding ways to put discarded bottles to good use. Throughout Africa and Latin America, communities are repurposing these bottles to provide shelter for the homeless. People collect discarded bottles, fill them with sand, stack them on their side and bind them together with a mud or cement mix to create solid walls. The structures are well insulated, incredibly strong and cost very little to create. What makes the idea particularly appealing is not only does it help to shelter the homeless, but it also reduces plastic waste in the areas where these homes are being built.

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