By Samuel Getachew
Some of the millions of the discarded plastic bottles in Ethiopia are being recycled in Adama and turned into eco-friendly homes courtesy of SIMCON Technologies PLC. This comes after the local company found inspiration from the experiences of accident prone nations such as Bangladesh and Nigeria, who have used theirs to build homes to a population in need of affordable homes.
“These homes have a livability age of between 600 to 1500 years,” Adil Abdella (PhD), the CEO of SIMCON, said. “They cost a fraction of what a house would cost and they offer plenty of benefits.”
This is the first time such homes are being built in Ethiopia to help curb the shortages of homes that are being experienced by millions of people whose prices have been unreachable for many.
The homes constructed in Adama are by way of bottles filled with mud and they are said to be as strong as a brick. They are thought to have ample advantages, including low costs, the absorption of shock, being bio climatic, re-usable and having the use of minimal construction material and less labor intensive.
Bottled waters have become popular with little use for them once used. Other nations have taken advantage of their availability, most notably in the Philippines, where they are used as a solar bottle bulb by adding purified water and bleach, giving the poor the use of some electricity.
In Ethiopia, there have been large investments made, local and international, including notably from the multinational Nestle. Till now, there has been little use for them once used.
Adil told The Reporter; a typical two-bed room house would cost about 350,000 Birr rather than the 2 million it would cost to build in Adama. The company noted how it was able to involve hundreds of young people in its pioneering project, helping them collect the discarded bottles and later offering them generous rewards by purchasing the bottles straight from them.
“This has allowed us to extend the benefit of our projects to as many people as possible,” Adil said.