An environment protection organisation called 'Plastics For Change' has built a house out of non-recyclable plastic waste for a poor woman in south India.

The development was recorded in Mangaluru on November 10, showing the complete tiny bungalow built of compressed plastic panels.

The house is inhabited by Kamala Amma, a retired member of the underprivileged waste picker community in southern India's Karnataka.

The house has been constructed over an area of 350 square feet with a total of 1.5 tonnes worth of recycled plastic. 60 panels of 8 mm thickness weighing 25 kg (55 lbs) have been used to construct the walls of the house, while panels of 6 mm thickness have been used for the roof.

The construction of the house costed an estimated USD $6030 and will be able to last for up to 30 years. It has the ability to withstand wind speed of 120 kmph (74 mph) and has undergone extensive weather testing.

The house consists of a hall, a store, a small kitchen and a washroom along with a cosy balcony.

The process of building the plastic panels begins with collecting the raw material, multi-layer packaging (MLP), which is then processed through a chemical wash. It is then manually dried for a few days before finally putting it through a shredder. After shredding, it is moulded, spread, and rolled out to complete the process with a cold press, followed by a hot press.

Plastics for Change was launched with a mission to use plastic waste as a resource for addressing social issues. With over two billion people living on less than Rs 150 (USD $2) a day, there is an enormous opportunity to reduce poverty through recycling.

Chandan MC, Director for Programs and Development, stated that the organisation plans to go pan-India in the forthcoming years, with an immediate goal of building at least 20 such homes for the community within the next year.

An environment protection agency called 'Plastics For Change' has built a house out of zero recyclable value plastic waste for a member of the underprivileged waste picker community in southern India's Karnataka. The development was recorded in Mangaluru.

Visuals shot on November 10 show the complete tiny bungalow built of compressed plastic panels. The house is inhabited by Kamala Amma, a retired member of the waste-picking community.

The house has been constructed over an area of 350 square feet with a total of 1.5 tonnes worth of recycled plastic. 60 panels of 8 mm thickness weighing 25 kg (55 lbs) have been used to construct the walls of the house, while panels of 6 mm thickness have been used for the roof.

The construction of the house costed a total of Rs 4.5 lakh (USD 6030) and will be able to last for up to 30 years. It has the ability to withstand wind speed of 120 kmph (74 mph) and has undergone extensive weather testing.

The house consists of a hall, a store, a small kitchen and a washroom along with a cosy balcony.

The process of building the plastic panels begins with collecting the raw material, multi-layer packaging (MLP), which is then processed through a chemical wash. It is then manually dried for a few days before finally putting it through a shredder. After shredding, it is moulded, spread, and rolled out to complete the process with a cold press, followed by a hot press.

The Plastics for Change story started with Andrew Almack’s journey through South Asia in 2011. Overwhelmed by the extreme poverty in the region and the audacious levels of plastic pollution began the journey of an "eco-label" which could represent ethically sourced recycled plastic, ultimately helping to reduce plastic pollution and poverty.

Plastics for Change was launched with a mission to use plastic waste as a resource for addressing social issues ever since. With over two billion people living on less than Rs 150 (USD 2) a day, there is an enormous opportunity to reduce poverty through recycling. They have been on a mission ever since which is to bring recycling infrastructure to developing regions and creating jobs for some of the most marginalized members of society.

Chandan MC, Director for Programs and Development, stated that the organisation plans to go pan-India in the forthcoming years, with an immediate goal of building at least 20 such homes for the community within the next year.