At The Optimist Daily, we never tire of sharing solutions that tackle the gargantuan problem of plastic pollution.
Single-use non-recyclable plastic products are prolific in this day and age, and present an undeniably challenging problem for us, for the world’s ecosystems, and for all the creatures living in them. There are many angles that we are taking to try to address plastic pollution; some institutions are working to ban plastic altogether, and others are focused on figuring out how to recycle all kinds of plastics.
Now, a startup called ByFusion is offering another solution: shaping all plastic—even non-recyclable—into efficient and convenient building blocks called ByBlocks. These blocks, which end up having 16-by-8-by-8-inch dimensions, can be used in all kinds of construction and don’t require the plastics to be pre-sorted or even cleaned out before they are compressed into blocks, saving time and resources.
The first of the three different brick models are designed with pegs that can interlock, the second is completely flat, and the last model consists of a combination of the first two.
The ByBlocks have just one disadvantage: they’re susceptible to sunlight. However, with a coating of clear paint or by pairing them with good weather-resistant material, these blocks perform just as well as cement blocks.
Currently, ByFusion has a full production unit in Los Angeles that can make use of up to 450 tons of plastic annually. The firm estimates that it has recycled 103 tons of plastic so far and hopes to recycle 100 million tons by 2030.
