Hey, it’s Dan

In Today’s Issue:

• I learned that plastic bottles can become bricks

• Like, actual building blocks for walls and benches

• I haven’t made one yet… but I’m kinda tempted

• And I want your take before I go full spoon-handle compression mode

🌎 Our Mission

Eco Hustle is about getting paid to save the planet—one plastic project at a time.

Most weeks I build something weird.
This week? I researched something weird—and now I’m trying to decide if it’s worth doing.

Let’s talk about ecobricks.

This Week’s Plastic Problem

Recycling is nice in theory.
In practice? Most plastic still ends up trashed. Especially wrappers, film, chip bags, and anything shiny or stretchy.

Ecobricks are a grassroots workaround.

You take unrecyclable plastic and stuff it into an empty bottle—really stuff it—until it becomes solid like a brick.

People are using them to build benches, furniture, even classrooms.

It’s like landfill turned into LEGO.
Satisfying. Strategic. Slightly unhinged.
Naturally, I’m intrigued.

This Week’s Hustle: Should I Actually Make One?

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

• A single ecobrick can take 30–60 minutes to fill

• It needs to be dense and firm—squeeze it and it shouldn’t give at all

• People use wooden spoons, chopsticks, or carved dowels to pack plastic into every inch

• You can track your weight, share your totals, and even earn “green points” in some communities
  

There are whole guides, forums, and movement hashtags built around this.

I haven’t tried it yet.
But I’m one bag pile away from committing.

💡Pro Tip From a Not-Quite-Bricker

Don’t underestimate how much plastic goes into one brick.

If you’re even thinking about trying this, you’ll need:

• A clean, dry bottle (same brand/size if you want stackable ones)

• A pile of soft plastic that would otherwise go to landfill

• A spoon or stick you don’t care about

• And some mild emotional detachment
  

You’ll feel like you’re packing a recycled sausage.

Apparently that’s normal.

One Last Tangle

I never thought I’d be Googling

“How many snack wrappers does it take to build a bench?”

But that’s the vibe this week.

Maybe I’ll do it. Maybe I won’t.
But the idea that trash could literally become infrastructure?
That’s hard to ignore.

P.S. I Read Every Reply

If you’ve ever packed a bottle full of guilt to feel a little better about modern life, you’re in the right place.

Hit reply and tell me if this is worth the effort.
Or what you’d build if you had 500 of them.
Spoiler: a plarn throne is already on my vision board.