APPLICATION OF CONCRETE ENCASED ECOBRICK BLOCKS IN THE UK’S CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract

The construction industry within the UK is at the forefront of new and alternative materials, which aid in efficient, sustainable and environmental-friendly construction projects. The concept of filling a single use plastic bottle with plastic waste and encasing it within a concrete surround, producing a composite block meets all three objectives. Due to the lack of ecobrick research within the UK, it became the catalyst for researching the concrete encased ecobrick block. At 7 day compressive testing the composite blocks were all weaker than the control samples and at 28 days the results were mixed. In comparison to a global study (Oman) the composite blocks were all greater in compressive strength. In conclusion, the composite blocks were found to be adequate for non-load bearing structural elements within the UK’s construction industry.