PLOC

PLOC is an open source system that helps people make their own mould and turn waste to the durable constructional product which is an interlocking brick-cum-tile made from material reprocessed by Dharavi’s established plastic recycling industry

Scope

Service Design

Product Design

Circular Economy

Client

CERN

(Sustainable design)

Year

My Role

2019, Oct - Jan

User research

Service flow

Business analysis

Award

Grand challenge winner

Anchor 1

ABOUT

Breaking the vicious loop of recycling plastic, we designed a means to build a durable interlocking brick-cum-tile from plastic waste generated by the city of Mumbai. We aim to impact the lock slum, Dharavi, dealing with waste by creating job, valuable end products to improve their housing infrastructure and new industry opportunities. We proved opportunity and viability of recycled plastic products that have a longer life, can be built from a grassroots level, and can sustain meaningful purpose in their application.

CHALLENGE

Repetitive recycling generates a huge carbon footprint. Dharavi has a huge internal economy, which is estimated to be worth around £700m. Along with leatherworking, recycling forms a fundamental part of the economy. A fifth of the slum’s population are estimated to be employed in waste disposal. Therefore, how can we develop a low cost operational system that helps residents in slum can easily to apply for it and run their own business, then improve their quality of life?

VIDEO

DESIGN APPROACH

DESK RESEARCH

Problem scope

Right now an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic – everything from plastic bottles and bags to micro beads – end up in our oceans each year. That’s a truck load of rubbish a minute. Millions of tons of waste plastic from British businesses and homes may be ending up in landfill sites across the world, the government’s spending watchdog has warned.

Plastic Recycling in Dharavi

The recycling industry in Dharavi is a £700m industry
80% of Mumbai’s solid waste is recycled; that is close to 8000 metric tons
Plastic waste is bought by the kilogram at (approx.) 15p per kg of plastic bottles
The plastic recycling industry employs close to 10,000 people
20,000 single-room factories support the economy of the slum

Housing Situation in Dharavi

1 million people live in Dharavi with a population density of 869,565 people per square mile
The most basic housing relies on materials like corrugated iron sheets and bamboo or wooden planks
Dharavi receives heavy monsoon rains, which takes its toll on poorly built houses
Most structures are built through manual labour due to narrow streets and lack of space for heavy machinery