We have talked about the problem of plastic waste extensively, the huge volume of single-use plastic that fills our landfills, rivers, and oceans.
Conventional recycling has its drawbacks and limits, meaning that new ways of looking at the problem are vital. Enter ByFusion, a company out of Los Angeles that aims to turn massive amounts of plastic waste into building materials.
Their innovation is a unique way to compress and combine plastic waste scraps into tough, buildable blocks that they call ByBlocks. Some of them are molded with pegs to allow for easy interlocking. Others are flatter, allowing for other building applications. Ten pounds lighter than cement blocks and much tougher, the blocks are made using steam and compression, and can use virtually any type of plastic.
It’s exciting to think about this waste being turned into strong, durable building materials, especially in a manner that doesn’t require much sorting or cleaning beforehand. The company aims to ramp up from 450 tons of plastic processing to over 100 million tons by 2030.
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