Centre profile

Singapore Polytechnic’s Digital Building Innovation Centre (DBIC) works with companies and other institutions of higher learning to use technology to produce new building and construction innovations.

Problem Statement

In Indonesia, it is common to burn used plastic bottles in open air, causing poisonous fumes to enter the air that millions of people breathe in, which leads to unknown and irreparable harm to their bodies. Plastic that is not burned is also left as trash instead of being recycled.

“The cost of environmental pollution and on human health is unmeasurable,” said Dr Handojo Djati Utomo, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Civil Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic and the project’s leader.

_{Eco-bricks made of recycled plastic bottles co-developed by Singapore Polytechnic’s Digital Building Innovation Centre and the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Credit: Oh Rui Ke Ritco}

Impact Achieved

The DBIC partnered with UMY’s Community Service Division to design bricks made of recycled plastic bottles that reduce the amount of waste burned in a village in south Yogyakarta.

Used plastic bottles are collected by locals, who hand-pick the bottles from collected trash. After that, the bottles are torn up using shredding machines, melted safely in an industrial oven at 200⁰C, packed using manual compactors, then cut into bricks.

The team tested the plastic bottle bricks and found that they had a similar compressive strength – the ability to withstand loads without breaking – to traditional clay bricks. However, they are half as dense, so the eco-bricks are suited to build lighter structures such as partition walls and foot paths. Larger brick sizes are currently being developed, and the entire project is set to complete by March 2025.

Students from Singapore Polytechnic’s schools of Architecture & the Built Environment, and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering were involved in this green technology venture as well. They helped to design the laboratory’s proprietary ecobrick compactor and conducted some of the bricks’ strength and density tests.

Once successful, the teams at DBIC and UMY would have offered a practical, tangible and environmentally conscious approach to waste management.

At the same time, villagers who learn how to create these eco-bricks can sell them to local contractors, generating another source of income.

Students from Singapore Polytechnic’s schools of Architecture & the Built Environment, and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering helped to design the laboratory’s proprietary ecobrick compactor and conducted some of the bricks’ strength and density tests.

Catch a glimpse of our students' hands-on journey in bringing this eco-innovation to life—watch the video below!