Having recently done a little recycling exercise with my
children, making a strong "fabric" by ironing some
discarded shopping bags together to make a 20-layer
laminate, I got to thinking about doing something
similar
but on a larger scale.
Waste plastic is ubiquitous in our society and
environment. In most cases a modest amount of heat
and
pressure allows you to form it into almost any shape you
desire.
A mould, a heat source and a hydraulic press would be
enough to get started on making wall sheeting to
whatever
size you require, followed by the addition of a flame-
retardant coating, which is cheaper than intumescent
paint. Using this method it would be simple enough to
make wall panels with a very high insulation value, out
of stuff we struggle to deal with in the wastestream.
It will take screws, nails and other fasteners readily,
unlike compressed fibrous cement sheeting, and is
impervious to water incursion.
Embedding plastic electrical conduit at the time of
manufacture would also be a snap, further cutting
construction costs.