“ Life after plastic”
by the:
ECO Warriors
of
El Dorado West Secondary School
Target Road, El Dorado.
Trinidad and Tobago.
Tel/Fax: 663-7738
Problem Statement and Significance of the problem:
At El DORADO WEST SECONDARY the form five (5) physics class have notice there is an
overflow of plastic bottles being thrown away daily. When added up it can stretch round the
earth twice. Due to urbanization in places such as the community of El Dorado during rainy
season and days of heavy rainfall, streets are being flooded. This is because of the impermeable
surface and highly accumulated amount of plastic bottles in the community drains. The impact of
our actions of improper disposal of plastic bottles for example have caused not only students to
be trapped waiting for flood waters to subside but community members of the southern boundary
of El Dorado which include elderly to families with small children, to be trapped within their
homes until help arrives or until the waters subside. This contribution of the population of El
Dorado West Secondary to wastage via improper recycling or reuse of plastics is unsatisfactory
and a paradigm shift is needed in how we dispose of our plastic waste. Sharing knowledge of
alternative uses of plastics with the school and community will aid in the reduction of flooding in
the El Dorado district and reduce risk exposure for school and community members.
Objectives:
1) Alleviate the effects of waste build up in drainage and our contribution to flooding
(reduce waste)
2) Recycle non-biodegradable materials that continue to pollute the environment (help save
environment)
3) Reduce the quantity of trash stored (keep environment clean)
4) To bring further awareness to the people of alternative solutions for used plastic bottles
other than trash disposal
5) To reinforce the need for recycling to protect the environment (help people understand
importance of recycling)
Approach:
Plastics have influenced the development of world in so many positive ways: medical,
engineering, daily life. The price of progress though has its drawbacks. Plastics which are made
of petroleum has an extremely long half life. Experts have agreed that it actually takes a
minimum of 450 years for plastic to degrade.
We are yet to discover a biodegradable method for plastic bottles an as to assist in the reduction
of bottles left to simply accumulate, many people engage or promote recycling the plastics. To
get individuals in their household to recycle plastic is an on going promotion for the
Environmental Management Authority and other invested Non-profit Organizations. Similar to
the region, at this time in Trinidad and Tobago, plastic recycling companies are centralized in the
North-Western part of the country, pick ups are scheduled and for some companies the service is
provided for a fee to the clients. For many, storage of the bottles or means to drop off at a
location or wait for the pick up service.T
To assist with the reduction of plastic bottle build up our team at El Dorado West Secondary
School propose not only recycling but repurposing of the plastic bottles thrown away everyday in
school and at home.
By taking this approach we hope to reach the goals described in our objectives using innovative
ways of recycling plastic to make decorative, artistic and useful items.
We decided to go down the route of making items that can be used every day by everyone.
especially since its going to around longer than anyone we are promoting repurposing to. Some
examples that we believe will not only excite and encourage stakeholders in the community
(students, parents, residents) to repurpose plastic bottles but also educate them on the need for
repurposing in a creative way are:
The cost for pick up of recycling bottles is a expense to the recycler, the drop off sites are located
mostly in the North- Western region making it inconvenient to the individual. This is also
compounded by the fact that storage until pickup may be an issue. That’s why our approach is
mainly to reproduce plastic items and convert it into something useful. Some examples we have
chosen are:

green wall- easy to make with an effective way to grow plants without being costly. It is
going to a reduction in chemicals as the greenwall will only contain organic materials. In
agriculture there will be a reduced need to import produce from external sources.a reduce
in economical strain.Reducing importation and increasing agricultural sustainability.
● bird feeder - avid bird enthusiasts can repurpose bottles to hold bird food
● bunny basket - Easter baskets or projects for children to do
● coin purse - stores loose change or for a piggy bank
● pencil holder - can be used for make for stationary or make -up items.
● basket - to store items in the kitchen siuch as potatoes and onions
● magazine holder - in the office
● phone holder - to store the phone while it is charging or even be used for keys so they are
not misplaced
● Bracelets
Birdfeeder- 1. Draw using a marker dotted
lines where the cut outsfor the bird feed
should fit
2. Using a knife cut out along the dotted
lines
Stationery or make-up holder: 1. Cut off the neck of
the bottle with a knife
2. Melt the sharp edge using a heat source.
Basket – 1. Cut off the neck of the bottle
2. glue ribbon arround the mouth of the bottle
3. punch holes on either side for handles
4. push through cord and knot at ends
Phone/multipurpose holder: 1. Draw outline on hand
cream bottle for cut out
2. Using scissors, cut the outline
3. Sand the sharp edges using sandpaper
4. cover the bottle with decorative cloth or paper and stick with hot glue
Magazine holder: 1. Cut bottle necks with a knife
2. heat the sharp edges to make safe
3. cut cardboard box desired length and paper with
decorative choice4. Place bottles in the box and stick with
hot glue.
Easter basket: 1. Cut the neck of a bottle off using a knife
2. draw and cut a picture of a bunny or character of choice and
tape onto bottle
3. cut out a strip for a handle (12”x1”) from bottle neck
4. use staple gun and staple handles onto each side.
Coin purse – 1. Cut off bases of two same
size bottles
2. using a needle and thread stitch the
zipper onto each bottle as shown
Bracelets- 1. Cut the bottle in rings approximately
0.75” thick
2. Wrap ribbon around rings as shown
3. staple edge to secure ribbon
Christmas decoration/ Gift box/Potpurri holder – 1. Cut off base of bottle as shown just below
the label
2. Cut going around the bottle every two inches
slits going vertically down leaving 2.5” uncut to the
bottom
3. fill with items of choice
4. fold the flaps inward and tape to secure with
decorative choice as shown
The promotion in Trinidad and Tobago has been
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, with emphasis on
reduction and recycling. Each item being
handmade would be unique to the individual who
made it.
Encouragement for large scale production for any
entrepreneur in the community would be supported
by our students since repurposing is not limited to
these examples we have chosen. Businesses can be
created from other innovative solutions such as
jewery production, arts and crafts solution or even
consultancy.
The Challenge/ Competition:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is not a new idea. In our community however our proposed solution has
not yet been introduced in such a forum by El Dorado West Secondary.
Furthermore, El Dorado West secondary is a significant part of the community because of our
student population who live in this district and the close proximity of the housing communities to
the school. This same community that has a reduction of available water run off locations to
reduce flooding.As such there is need to continuously encourage members of the community and
other stakeholders to reuse/repurpose to reduce flooding via implementing simple yet innovative
solutions.
Resources Needed:
●
8 oz -600ml water bottles
●
roof and gutter silicone
● 6 small squares of sponge
● Vermiculite plant growing mix
● Blind cord sash rope
● knife
● tape measure, 2 1/8 (64mm) Drill bit hole cutter,1" drill bit
● 1.5mm small drill bit
●
small pliers
● phillips screwdriver
●
battery or electric drill
● Wooden crate (to simulate wall)
● Motor and battery pack
Timeline:
Use Of S.T.E.M:
Science - growth of plants using technology.The plants can be potted in the bottles with soil ,
manure and a piece of foam. The foam is to facilitate the temporary storage of water for the
plants’ use. This version is an organic green wall and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
A more complicated version using a solar panel and water recycling system can be used. This
version allows for nutrients to be add to the water for a more efficient and even distribution of
the nutrients needed by the plants for maximum growth.
Technology - Researching , making powerpoints,use of equipment to build prototype.
Engineering- designing and building the green wall and project management with time and
production.
The simple green wall utilizes the Earth’s natural gravitation force to ensure that the plants
receive sufficient water at each level. The more detailed design of the green wall makes use of a
small solar panel that can charge batteries and a pump to allow the nutrients to be cycled through
to the plants at the top of the green wall.
Mathematics - Measurements and cost calculations.
The items made would have required specific measurements for suitability of items’ usage. This
is in addition to the balancing of budget for proposal.
Community Involvement and Community Impact:
The school community:
-
Classmates helped collect bottles.
-
students become actively involved in repurposing so that they can carry that enthusiasm
into their households.
-
Parents and teachers helped design the greenwall and raised funds to purchase materials.
-
Promote sustainability in Trinidad and Tobago, a drive of not only the Environmental
Management Authority and Non- Profit Organizations but a major goal of the Ministry of
Agriculture and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to reduce the importation bill
(Trinidad express, 2011).
The El Dorado Community:
-
The residents of the community would be encouraged to repurpose plastic bottles , and
similar to the student and parent population not only contribute to efficient economic
savings in their household by producing agricultural produce but to promote
sustainability to Trinidad and Tobago as a whole.
References :
http://urbangreensurvival.blogspot.com/p/hanging-bottle-garden.html this blog was used as the
main reference for the project.
http://www.butterbin.com/amazing-ideas-on-how-to-recycle-your-plastic-bottles-at-home/
http://www.pinterest.com/nancyback/plastic-bottle-art/
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business-magazine/_400M__import_bill_-133502533.html
plastikeep.com