Prototype of a non-structural eco-friendly wall elaborated with plastic products, polyethylene terepthalate (PET)

Abstract

The present study contemplates an analysis of two of the present problems in El Salvador: the housing deficit in low-income population and the overproduction of plastic bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate. The research pretends to relate these two problems with the Sustainable Development Goals, an initiative launched by the United Nations to continue with the development agenda after the Millennium Development Goals. The two related goals are to collaborate with the country in the creation of sustainable cities and communities building up a prototype of an eco-friendly wall. This study pretends to collaborate in the construction of future social housing, reusing PET plastic bottles as the main raw material, qualifying the people in the community to plan, manage and create the necessary structures for the local development. Besides, the reduction of plastic in land and marine ecosystems is actively pursued, since many of these bottles are not treated in recycling facilities, ending up in rivers and the ocean, damaging ecosystems and species.