Nova Scotia Environmental Breakthrough

Different technologies have evolved in recent years to wean people away from using plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) water bottles. However, no one has actually thought of a way to reuse the bottles on a mass scale until recently.

Canadian Entrepreneurs Joel German and David Saulnier have built a 2,000 square foot home in Meteghan River, Nova Scotia, using approximately 600,000 PET bottles recycled and turned into foam sheets in Brampton, Ontario. The house is believed to be the first of its kind  and estimated to cost the same as a similar size home.

Other than its environmentally sound premise, there are several other positive reasons for building plastic homes. German and Salnier’s company, JD Composites, had the technology tested and found that the building had a high R insulation value. R20 is the average rating, but their technology is rated at R30. Also in the case of strong winds, the home can withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and beyond.

JD Composites also envisions making boat bulkheads and lazarettes, hunting cabins, sheds, disaster relief shelters and marine wharfs and gangways, from their technology.  There seems no downside, as thousands of tons of plastic water bottles are dumped into the environment, every year.