Costa Rican mother builds home from recycled plastic
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Cindy Mora of Alajuelita, Costa Rica, saved for nine years to buy land, then partnered with organizations to build a house using 850 recycled plastic “bricks.”
As a single mother, Mora prioritized acquiring a building lot but faced financial barriers to constructing a traditional home. Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica and several companies addressed this by converting 7.5 tons of plastic waste into durable building blocks.
The program transformed everyday plastic items, bottles, packaging, through industrial processing into interlocking blocks that formed the walls of Mora’s house. Volunteers and local residents contributed over 800 hours of labor to assemble the structure, placing the plastic blocks on a concrete foundation. While the walls are made of plastic, the home meets standard engineering requirements and includes a metal roof and standard plumbing and electrical systems.
The finished home features exterior coatings and paint that conceal the recycled material, presenting a conventional appearance. For Mora and her son, Fabrizio, the house signifies the end of years of financial hardship and serves as a model for sustainable and affordable housing in the region. The project addressed both housing shortages and plastic waste accumulation.
