Costa Rican Family Moves into Plastic-Waste Home Built with Procter & Gamble's Help
Cindy Mora Abarca, a Costa Rican mother, finally achieved her dream of owning a permanent home for herself and her 6-year-old son, Fabrizio. She had been saving for nine years to purchase a small plot of land, but lacked the funds to build a house. That changed after Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica connected her case with Procter & Gamble, Urbarium, and Ekojunto.
The construction of their home in Lámparas, Alajuelita, near San José, began in April 2018 and was completed on May 26. The house features interlocking blocks made from recycled plastic, known as Bloqueplas, which were designed to fit together like Lego pieces.
About 7 tons of discarded plastic went into the construction of the house through Procter & Gamble's corporate social responsibility programme. Urbarium described this system as a way to turn plastic waste into a construction resource instead of treating it only as material for disposal.