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Eco-bricks

Eco-bricks are plastic bottles packed with non-biodegradable waste, used as reusable building blocks

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In our project, eco-bricks are:

  • Utilized to construct garden borders and footpath.

  • A practical solution to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability.

  • An engaging activity for volunteers and students to learn about recycling and upcycling

The HKUST butterfly garden features 10,800 eco-bricks covering 216 square meters, made from 3 tonnes of plastic waste collected from our campus. This includes 2,805 kg of discarded washing machines and 207 kg of bottles, which is equivalent to 292 old washing machines and 17,250 bottles recycled into bricks. To produce 100 square meters of eco-bricks, approximately 1,500 kg of plastics is required (around 300 g of plastics per brick). Normally, it takes about 4 to 5 months to gather this amount of plastic waste, but we managed to collect it in just 2 weeks at HKUST. Around 1/8 of the bricks used in the butterfly garden were made entirely from the plastic waste collected on campus. This initiative demonstrates a significant step towards sustainable waste management and environmental stewardship on campus.

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Recycled Materials Content

  • >70% by weight of recycled aggregates

  • Recycled fine aggregate more than 40% by weight of the total recycled aggregate

  • Recycled glass cullet shall be included as recycled fine aggregates and shall constitute 20% to 25% by weight of the total aggregate

  • Recycled glass cullet shall all pass a 3.35mm BS Sieve

  • Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag (GGBS) shall be used as replacement in at least 10% by weight of cement in the production

Specifications

Generally compiles with:

  • BS 6717:2001

  • General Specification for Civil Engineering Works

  • Housing Department Specification

  • ISO 9001:2008

  • General Specification for Building

  • Highways Department Specification

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