Investigating the Impact of Plastic Waste Incorporation on the Physical and Environmental Properties of Hollow Blocks

This research proposal aims to investigate the strength of plastic wastes as additive material for hollow block production. The hollow block with plastic wastes was machine made incorporated with shredded plastic wastes gathered from the community. The hollow block with different drying days were tested in terms of maximum load test (kN), compressive strength (Mpa) and strength test (psi). Also as comparison, the machine made commercial hollow block was tested to its maximum load test (kN), compressive strength (Mpa) and strength test (psi). The tests were performed at TERMS Concrete and Materials Testing Laboratory, Inc. Data were analyzed using mean and Mann-Whitney U Test. Results revealed that hollow blocks with plastic wastes dried in 10 days gained the best test results to be used for masonry, especially for tall buildings that require great strength. For commercial hollow block dried in 81 days gained the best test results to be used for masonry works. Hollow block with plastic wastes can be a good substitute for commercial hollow blocks and can also give more strength to the hollow block made. The hollow block with plastic wastes and commercial hollow block does not significantly differ in terms of maximum load test (kN), compressive strength (Mpa) and strength test (psi), therefore, hollow block with plastic wastes can be a good substitute for commercial hollow blocks. Explore other consumer wastes that can be incorporated into hollow blocks to improve the compressive strength of the material and environment-friendly methods.