Examples of bottle architecture are popping up all over the world, with innovative, creative, passionate people finding ways to transform packaging waste into homes, buildings and schools. Asia's first schoolhouse constructed using bottle architecture methods is located in the town of San Pablo in the Philippines. Built by Illac Diaz and MyShelter Foundation, the school takes material that would otherwise be harmful to the environment and turns it into a contributing force within the community.

How the School Was Built

The school's building materials include used 1.5- and 2-liter PET bottles, such as soda and water bottles, filled with adobe. The adobe is liquefied and used as building blocks for the school, filling the empty bottles and then being placed like bricks to create strong walls. The plastic bottle and adobe structure is three times stronger than concrete and much more affordable. Approximately 5,000 bottles are used for one classroom.

Other materials used to build the school include translucent glass bottles, bamboo fiber, rice hull and cornhusk. All the materials are sourced locally, with bottles collected through MyShelter Foundation events that raise awareness about the importance of protecting our environment.

About PET

PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a type of plastic commonly used for packaging. The life cycle of virgin PET materials contributes to the pollution of the environment. By taking plastic materials and transforming them into something new - whether recycled PET products or plastic bottle buildings - we are helping to reduce plastic waste and contribute to a greener future.

At Heritage Pioneer, we do our best to help customers make smart, affordable and effective sustainable choices when it comes to their packaging options, and to make sure they are updated on the latest in sustainable packaging news. For more information on our sustainable packaging products and services, contact us today.

1.       Replace polystyrene "peanuts" with paper or recycled plastic loose fill.

2.       Replace polystyrene packaging with a paper or polyethylene alternative.

3.       Use inflatable air pillow packaging for simple void fill applications. Although the material is plastic, very little is needed; the packaging is really done by ambient air.

4.       Use corrugated material with as high a recycled content as possible.

5.       Reduce the size of your corrugated shipping containers.

6.       Redesign your corrugated shipping containers to reduce the amount of material they contain.

7.       Switch from a small corrugated shipping container to a paper-based mailing bag.

8.       Upgrade your stretch wrap machine and/or stretch film for greater stretch and less packaging per load.

9.       Down gauge to a thinner stretch film to reduce packaging per load. Most people overwrap.

10.   Use a wide web stretch film to reduce the number of wraps per load.

11.   Switch from polypropylene carton sealing tape to a paper alternative.

12.   To eliminate carton sealing tape altogether, employ a self-locking box or tuck design. This is a great option for intra-plant shipments.

13.   Conserve energy: Change from shrink bundling to stretch bundling.

14.   Reconfigure pallet loads to minimize empty space on trucks or railcars during shipment. This conserves energy and fuel costs (among other benefits).

15.   Start a contest to see which employee or customer can come up with the best sustainable packaging idea for your products.

Heritage Pioneer is committed to helping businesses and consumers make more sustainable packaging choices. Our packaging solutions include corrugated cardboard materials, automated packaging services and customized packaging designs. Contact us today to learn more.