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All Argentina Puerto Iguazú Ecological Plastic Bottle House

Ecological Plastic Bottle House

One family's mission to exemplify sustainability took on a whole new life as a surprisingly beautiful home.

Puerto Iguazú, Argentina

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The Ecological Bottle House.   Rodrigo Soldon
The Ecological Bottle House.   Rodrigo Soldon
The porch of the plastic bottle house.   Rodrigo Soldon
Everything in the ecological plastic bottle house was made from recycled materials.   Rodrigo Soldon
Artful, ecological furniture.   Rodrigo Soldon
A plastic bottle bed.   Rodrigo Soldon
A miniature plastic bottle shed in the yard of the plastic bottle house.   Rodrigo Soldon
Entrance to the Casa Ecológica de Botellas.   Rodrigo Soldon
Bottle Truck   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Bedroom   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In Puerto Iguazu there is a house made entirely of garbage. It was built by a family of craftsmen to exemplify the concept of ingenious self-sustainability.

Alfredo Santa Cruz and his family built the bottle house out of trash and recyclables they collected. Aluminum cans, glass jars, CDs, cardboard cartons, and of course, plastic bottles were all used as construction materials. The house has multiple rooms, and even furniture constructed from all these items.

Despite the fact that it's made from trash, the house is surprisingly beautiful. Sunlight is diluted through the green, brown, and clear bottles, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

The house demonstrates how humans can interrupt their pattern of negative environmental impact. Objects one would usually discard might have a second life as a flower pot, or as a beaded shower curtain. The Santa Cruzes have partnered with the city and with local schools for further ecological improvements to the house, such as a solar water heating system and a self-sustaining agriculture project. 

The bottle house is open for tours led by the architects themselves. They also create and sell souvenirs made from recycled materials. The main purpose of the house and tour is not to demonstrate the ingenuity of the project itself, but to promote the importance of reducing waste and preserving the environment. 

Related Tags

Environment Plastic Bottle Houses Bottle Art Trash Garbage Eccentric Homes Houses Homes

Community Contributors

Edited By

Greg Jones, Molly McBride Jacobson, Blindcolour, ski queen

  • Greg Jones
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Blindcolour
  • ski queen

Published

March 16, 2017

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Sources
  • https://sites.google.com/site/lacasadebotellas2/ecologichouseofplasticbottles
  • http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/amazing-house-made-entirely-of-plastic-bottles-from-argentina-photos.html
  • http://www.eltribuno.info/salta/nota/2014-3-26-1-20-0-una-casa-ecologica-hecha-con-botellas
  • http://www.ariguazu.com/la-casa-botellas.html
Ecological Plastic Bottle House
Puerto Iguazú
Argentina
-25.624797, -54.554332
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Salto del Monday

Presidente Franco, Paraguay

miles away

Iguazu Falls

Foz do Iguaçu, Argentina

miles away

Itaipu Dam

Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Argentina

Argentina

South America

Places 77
Stories 29

Nearby Places

Salto del Monday

Presidente Franco, Paraguay

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Argentina

Argentina

South America

Places 77
Stories 29

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