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The environmental impact from both raw material acquisition and the processes involved in making final products has lasting repercussions for everything on our planet. Plastic dominates our waste materials, so much so that as a result we have accumulated a Pacific island trash patch approximately the size of the continental United States. A myriad of products can be made for the building industry from recycling this floating debris. Photo-voltaic cells created from this material and retrofitted to structures in the form of solar collector/reflectors,accompanied with an economic incentive given to those invent or employ their use may provoke a new green technology boon. Roof tiles made of 80% rubber and plastic, insulate keeping solar heat out, while similar items (siding, shakes and decking products) can be used to complete an exterior. Water bottles filled with mud have been used as in-fill for wall construction, these plastic bricks offer structural support in both earthquake and flood zones. Mining this Pacific floating mass resource for reuse, may offer benefits in re-setting the Earth’s atmospheric and Oceanic temperatures, as the enormity of this island patch has certainly disrupted heat absorption levels and circulation paths for both.
Featured articles and news
Guidance notes to prepare for April ERA changes
From the Electrical Contractors' Association Employee Relations team.
Significant changes to be seen from the new ERA in 2026 and 2027, starting on 6 April 2026.
First aid in the modern workplace with St John Ambulance.
Ireland's National Residential Retrofit Plan
Staged initiatives introduced step by step.
Solar panels, pitched roofs and risk of fire spread
60% increase in solar panel fires prompts tests and installation warnings.
Modernising heat networks with Heat interface unit
Why HIUs hold the key to efficiency upgrades.
Reflecting on the work of the CIOB Academy
Looking back on 2025 and where it's going next.
Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub
Brief, overview, key articles and over 1000 more covering procurement.
Sir John Betjeman’s love of Victorian church architecture.
Exchange for Change for UK deposit return scheme
The UK Deposit Management Organisation established to deliver Deposit Return Scheme unveils trading name.
A guide to integrating heat pumps
As the Future Homes Standard approaches Future Homes Hub publishes hints and tips for Architects and Architectural Technologists.
BSR as a standalone body; statements, key roles, context
Statements from key figures in key and changing roles.
ECA launches Welsh Election Manifesto
ECA calls on political parties at 100 day milestone to the Senedd elections.
Resident engagement as the key to successful retrofits
Retrofit is about people, not just buildings, from early starts to beyond handover.
Plastic, recycling and its symbol
Student competition winning, M.C.Esher inspired Möbius strip design symbolising continuity within a finite entity.
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.























