Located in the botanical garden of Chandrapur, Maharashtra, is a unique two-storey house that opens up to a large hall, a bedroom, and a staircase that leads to the first floor — where there’s a small room for kids to play and a verandah that gives a beautiful view of the botanical garden.

But what makes this house stand out? It’s completely made using plastic! Yes, plastic — right from the floor tiles, doors, and walls to stairs and ceiling!

Built by Dr Balmukund Paliwal, the house is spread across 625 sq ft, 18 feet in height and 10 feet wide. “We have made each and every part of the house from plastic. For this, we utilised all kinds of plastic waste — including potato chips packets, water bottles, medicine wrappers, cosmetics bottles, and milk pouches,” he says.

Constructed under the guidance of Zila Parishad Chandrapur, this house has diverted 13 tonnes of plastic from ending up in landfills.

What’s more, this plastic house is also portable. “We can dismantle it and assemble it within two to five hours just by operating the screws,” he says, adding that the house is currently being used by tourists and breastfeeding mothers visiting the garden.

In conversation with The Better India, the 68-year-old shares key features of the house in detail.

A doctor’s efforts to tackle mounting waste

Dr Balmukund, an anesthesiologist by profession, was always troubled by the growing plastic waste in landfills.

“This plastic waste is not only harmful to the environment but also to human health. In cities like Delhi, you can see mountains of waste. While the Government spends crores on waste management, there is a public outcry around plastic pollution. We need an urgent solution to divert this waste,” he says.

While looking for alternatives for disposing of plastic waste, Dr Balamukund saw an opportunity to use plastic waste by replacing reinforced concrete houses conventionally made of bricks and cement.

For years, concrete has been putting roofs over the heads of billions. After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. Concrete is a thirsty behemoth, sucking up almost a tenth of the world’s industrial water use. “If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8bn tonnes, surpassed only by China and the US,” mentions a report published in The Guardian. It also quoted concrete as “the most destructive material to Earth.”

Dr Balmukund says he was inspired to tackle plastic waste in 2014 when the Swachhata Bharat Abhiyan was launched. “I was also inspired by my mother. Back in the 60s, she used to wear polyester sarees. She would burn worn-out sarees. When polyester burns, it gives a plasticy smell and the fabric melts,” he says.

“She would mix the molten fabric with ash from chulha and make a thick paste. She would apply the semi-solid substance onto a bamboo soop (traditional tray) to make it rigid. This would increase its durability from a year to four years. Later on, she started using it to fix broken pans and drums. She never went to school but I learnt a lot from her,” he adds.

His mother’s innovative ways of reusing plastic remained with Dr Balmukund. He utilised this concept in the construction of his plastic house when IAS Vivek Johnson, chief executive officer, Zila Parishad, reached out to him.

The IAS officer shares, “As part of the mandate of the Zila Parishad, we are required to build a demo house for Awas Yojana. We didn’t want to use reinforced concrete and that’s when I met Paliwal sir. I knew he produces bars from plastic waste, which can be moulded into articles. With our vision of a futuristic house and Paliwal sir’s efforts, we were able to design an innovative model house. This will inspire people to make homes from plastic.”

House made from chips packets, broken mugs and bottles

Starting early this year, Dr Balmukund segregated and collected plastic waste like chips packets, shampoo bottles, and broken plastic mugs from dumping grounds in the city. After drying them naturally, he shredded them into pellets.

“The pellets are melted into a semi-solid substance through an extruder. This substance can thus be moulded into any shape, like doors, legs of a bench, tiles, etc. Thereafter, it is passed through a chiller and later on, polished and coloured,” he adds.

It took Dr Balmukund three months to construct the plastic house. He has carved designs on the doors and beds in the house to give it a wooden look. “Seeing the house, nobody can guess it is completely made of plastic waste. We have also used an additional 2.5 tonnes of steel for rigid support and framework,” he adds.

Sharing more about the features of the house, he says, “This house can be used in areas which are prone to electric shock or extreme hot and cold. As it is made from plastic, it provides insulation from outside weather. The house is comparatively three to four degrees cooler than outside temperatures,” he shares.

“Compared to a cement home, you do not require any water to construct a plastic house. Also, in reinforced concrete, percolation and cracks will eventually occur, but in a plastic home, there won’t be any cracks. The reinforced cemented structures require maintenance in 20 to 25 years but no such maintenance is needed in structures made of plastic, which can last for decades, even after your lifetime,” he claims.

Talking about the safety risks, Dr Balmukund shares, “This house is rust-free, fireproof, and shock-free. Usually, plastic melts at around 250 degrees and requires above 300 degrees for it to burn. Wooden homes catch fire faster than a plastic house,” he informs.

“Chandrapur city is one of the most polluted cities as it is an industrial area with mines, cement and explosives factories. We stressed on ways to reduce pollution. Dr Paliwal pitched in to design a house made of plastic. Although I was very doubtful, he was very confident. Let alone the public, even I was surprised to see the final house. When it was inaugurated, the District Magistrate and Chief Minister also could not believe their eyes,” IAS Vivek Johnson tells The Better India.

“This is a demo house which can be replicated in the housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. By constructing such homes, tonnes of plastic waste from villages and cities can be utilised. In future, if you ever desire to dismantle the house, you can reuse and recycle all the demolished plastic material, which is not possible in reinforced concrete structures. By adopting such a house, you protect the environment, use less natural resources, reduce plastic waste, and generate employment,” adds Dr Balmukund.

Including collection, machinery, and labour, the cost of constructing the plastic house was Rs 9 lakh, claims the doctor. Of the total cost, the Zila Parishad sanctioned Rs 5 lakh (the upper limit for the construction of the demo house).

“This is comparatively 20 percent less than the conventional cemented house. I invested the remaining amount so that funds do not become an issue and we have an example for others to adopt. As citizens, we need to understand our responsibilities towards protecting the environment. I am doing my bit, and I seek public and Government support to promote such houses to benefit all,” he concludes.

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All photos: Dr Balmukund Paliwal.