Plastic brick

From EcoReality

It occurred to me that with some sorting, a trash compactor, and a heat source, we could make solid plastic bricks from waste plastic that could be use for path pavers.

The "business end" of a trash compactor is simply a pair of lead screws that a motor drives to slide a ram down into a channel. If we fill it with plastic of similar composition (i.e. all the same recycling number), compact it, then take it to a suitable temperature and cool, we'll have nice bricks that will last a few centuries.

Although we might be concerned about what comes out of them if they are close to food, they should have little problem as walk and path pavers.

Challenges:

• How to keep the plastic from sticking all over inside -- silicone-impregnated release paper, perhaps?
• Carefully controlling the temperature so the plastic melts into itself, but doesn't get runny or char.