How do non-recyclable plastics become durable building blocks?

After years of R&D, the company has installed a full production unit in L.A. where it can process 450 tons of plastic per year with 12 more Blockers in the pipeline across the country.

It is reported that the company has already recycled 103 tons of plastic, with a goal of recycling 100 million tons by 2030 (about a quarter of the U.S.’s annual plastic production).

ByBlocks are available in a standard 16-by-8-by-8-inch building-block size and three variations: Some are molded with pegs so they can interlock; others are flat so builders can easily mount other components like a roof on top; and others are a combination of the two. The company is also working on developing smaller, cube-size blocks.

The blocks are 10 pounds lighter and more durable than hollow cement blocks. They can be clad with any kind of material or left exposed, but since plastics are susceptible to sunlight, outdoor projects would have to be coated in clear paint or paired with another weather-resistant material.

The system works with virtually any kind of plastic, including fishnets, but excluding Styrofoam. And because the plastic isn’t melted but fused, it doesn’t require an ounce of adhesive, glue, or mortar. The process, therefore, yields no waste whatsoever, which means 22 pounds of plastic makes a 22-pound block.

In 2019, ByFusion partnered with the Hefty EnergyBag program and the city of Boise, which asked its residents to separate their hard-to-recycle plastics.

Only 20% of residents obliged, but the effort still garnered about 30 tons of plastic grocery bags, bubble wrap, and fast-food containers that were diverted from the landfill. Instead, they were turned into building blocks, some of which were used in a local park.

For this particular project, the plastic was processed at ByFusion’s facility in L.A. But the company wants to partner with materials-recovery facilities, municipalities, and even corporations across the country that would run the Blockers themselves.

Blockers machines come in two sizes: One is the size of a shipping container and can process up to 30 tons of plastic per month; the other is a floor-mounted affair that can process more than 90 tons per month. For a large Blocker, it is with a US$1.3 million price tag.