Argentina's Housing Secretariat this month granted certification of technical fitness to a prototype of a brick made from plastic bottles for use in construction of houses and buildings of up to two stories. “This allows access to official funds for housing made with bricks produced from plastic waste,” Horacio Berretta, director of the Economical Housing Experiment Center in the central province of Córdoba, told Tierramérica.

Berretta acknowledged that there are various initiatives for construction with alternative materials, but noted that not all obtain certification. This recognition permits large-scale manufacture of the bricks, beginning with pilot projects in Buenos Aires and in the southwest province of Catamarca.

The plastic bricks are lighter than traditional bricks, he said. They are more water and fire resistant, soundproof, and easy to install.