Mexican entrepreneur turns plastic waste into $280 homes for poor families

An EcoDom prototype house built using its plastic panels. Plastic production has increased exponentially over the last few decades. A 2017 study published in Science Advances estimated that 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally since large-scale production began. Only a tiny fraction has been recycled, with huge amounts accumulating in landfills, ecosystems and waterways. Mexico has a big plastic problem of its own. The country consumes hundreds of thousands of tons of PET every year and is one of the largest consumers of bottled water and soft drinks in the world. Mexico has made progress in recycling, too. In the last 15 years, PET collection and recycling rates have risen substantially, proving how awareness can be translated into concrete action. An example of this approach is González’s EcoDom project. According to a news report by Eleconomista website, González was raised in the mountains of Puebla, a region rife with poverty and little access to proper housing. His experiences helped shape his interest in finding solutions that can solve both housing needs and plastic pollution. In 2013 he created the model which would be the basis of EcoDom. The company do...