Recycled plastic bottles used to build houses for the less fortunate in Makhanda

A recycling initiative centred on community development and keeping the environment clean has been launched in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. The drive aims to use recycled plastic bottles to build houses for the less fortunate.

Philanthropist Trevor Davies started the idea in 2017 after seeing the deplorable living conditions of the Kewuti family at the eNkanini informal settlement. He says they are now looking at expanding this initiative so it can benefit other residents.

“I think that this particular house was a learning curve. I think we didn’t do it as cost effectively as we could and I think if we take to account the learnings, I think we can probably build a plastic house with all the advantages of the insulation, etc., at very much the cost of some of the shacks around have gone up,” Davies says.

Family spokesperson Sivuyile Kewuti says the house is a much safer structure.

“The difference between a mud house and the plastic bottle house is that when it rains the mud house becomes very humid inside. Whereas the plastic bottle house is much like your normal brick house. It is far better to live in this kind of house than it is to live in a mud house.”