New Homes For The Poor: Built Using Recycled Bottles [Video]

An interesting project in Bolivia is providing new homes for the poor. The new homes are being built using recycled plastic bottles. They will replace unstable, one-room shacks with dirt floors.

Ingrid Vaca Diez, an attorney and auditor from Warnes, Bolivia, created the the project. It is her goal to continue providing social services in the poverty stricken town, that she says the authorities have forgotten. Although Warnes is not far from larger towns, it is one of the poorest in Bolivia.

Housing has become critical issue in Bolivia, as reported by Aljazeera:

“Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries in South America with roughly 50 percent of the population living below the poverty level according to 2010 estimates. For the poor, housing is one of the most critical issues. Statistics show that out of the total population of approximately 10 million people, a majority of families live in sub-standard housing conditions.”

There are currently around 100 families in need of new homes. Traditionally their homes have been built from any garbage and scraps of wood and aluminum. The homes leak and do not protect the residents from adverse weather. Most homes have only one room. On average there are five children and several adults in each home. Many families also keep their livestock in the homes to prevent them from getting stolen. The new homes, built using recycled bottles, are cost effective and environmentally friendly

Diez, who is not an architect, takes part in the construction of each home. Empty bottles are collected, filled with sand, and used as “bricks” to build homes for the poorest families in Bolivia. As stated on her Casas de Botellas website, Diez plans to build a total of 10 homes during the first phase of her project.

A documentary featuring the new homes for the poor, being built from recycled plastic bottles, will premier tomorrow. The film, “Rio’s Red Card,” is part of the “Viewfinder” documentary series.