An Environmental Activist Turns Bali’s Polluted River Waste into a Fully Equipped Home.
Gary Bencheghib in front of a house made entirely from plastic bags. (Photo: Johannes P. Christo).
Gary Bencheghib, an environmental activist in Bali, lives in a recycled house constructed from 35,000 pieces of plastic waste. The home spans just 12m2, yet it is fully equipped with a bed, kitchen, and bathroom.
“I decided to recycle the plastic we collected from rivers and build this house. This is a personal project, but it serves as an experiment to demonstrate that we can create wonderful things from waste,” Bencheghib shared.
The interior and furnishings of the house, including the bed frame and kitchen cabinets, are made from plastic cups and straws.
This tiny home also runs entirely on solar energy.
Over the past few years, this 28-year-old has spearheaded a movement to clean up clogged rivers, littered beaches, and illegal dumping sites around Bali and Java, aiming to prevent waste from entering the ocean. After completing his first house made from recycled plastic, Bencheghib seeks to build a series of similar homes for disaster victims.
The recycling movement for plastic waste is gaining momentum in Indonesia. A significant portion of the 7.8 million tons of plastic waste generated annually in Indonesia comes from households and businesses. Consequently, both the public and businesses are developing various ideas to transform plastic waste into useful items.
On the tourist island of Bali, in addition to the efforts of environmental activists, the Bali government has taken steps to reduce plastic waste on the resort island, including banning plastic bags in supermarkets.
