Fully certified, locally produced eco-friendly building materials are gaining popularity
The built environment is responsible for as much as 40% of all man-made carbon emissions, with rubble and soil waste from construction and demolition being a large component of landfill sites.
Myth VS truth
Building an eco-friendly house is well within reach, not just in terms of smart architectural design principles, but also the materials used. More tried-and-tested, good-looking building materials with full accreditation from the various quality control bodies are coming onto the market. They are either comparable in price to standard products, competitively priced or more affordable in the long term. It’s a myth that going green is more expensive.
Chris Whyte, MD, Use-It (a non-profit organisation with registered Public Benefit Organisation status and the aim of diverting waste and creating jobs), says that sustainable and/or recycled building materials can not only be cheaper than conventional building materials, but can also outperform them on many aspects.
“Do yourself a favour and get a great product that you can tell your friends all about while your conscience rests easy in the fact that you’re doing your bit to save the planet.”
“Alternative building materials have had a tough time getting into mainstream application in the market, but a recent drive by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs aims to promote their integration through the development of an Institute of Alternative Building Materials.”
RamBricks
One of Use-It’s products is RamBricks, which are compressed earth blocks. Use-It converts waste soils and rubble from landfills into building products for a range of housing types. It’s Africa’s first five-star Eco-Standard-rated brick manufactured from local resources and inert waste, has Agrément certification for the manufacturing process and has approval within the guidelines of the National Home Builders Registration Council. Chris says it has a carbon footprint one-third less than that of conventional materials, needs no water for its manufacture, requires only 5% of cement usually used and decreases construction time by 10%, among other benefits.
Other eco-friendly building equipment
Other products include Plastitrade’s roof tiles, a blend of post-consumer waste plastic and sand, where heat and pressure are applied. The company also produces manhole covers, paving slabs, cobblestones, railway sleepers and retaining blocks.
We discard around 160,000 tons of rubber tyres annually, with most ending up in landfill sites or burnt. EnviroBuild manufactures rubber paving using SafeCrumb sourced from the Mathe Group. This paving can be laid on top of other surfaces, it’s elastic, doesn’t crack, is easy to clean and affordable. Carpeting and flooring giant Van Dyck now manufactures all EnviroBuild products, which are 100% recyclable. EnviroTimbers and Ecowood source and process plastic waste and transform it into 100% recycled plastic products such as timber plastic furniture. Green Plastic Designs manufactures recycled plastic wood products, including outdoor furniture, decking, children’s playgrounds, dustbins and fencing. Ecology Plastics produces outdoor furniture and other products. For eco-fencing, visit Lavaplastic.
That’s just a handful of suppliers. There are numerous others producing authentic, eco-friendly building products, and they’re the real deal.
Words: Anne Schauffer | Images: iStock
