If you've not got time to listen to the podcast or read the whole post, scroll to the end for the 'take home' points!

Ecobricks. Plastic bottles packed with clean and dry plastic that can then be used literally as building bricks for a whole variety of structures. They seem to the the marmite of the plastic pollution fight with advocates citing them as a great way to keep plastic out of the biosphere (whilst we work on drastically reducing the mind boggling-ly enormous amount of plastic that we have come to depend on) and for the plastic that we would otherwise throw 'away' (altogether now "but we know there is no 'away'") to be turned into something of value. Meanwhile opponents argue that by having a nice neat end point for our plastic somehow legitimises it's use and prevents us tackling the real issues around reducing the amount that we're using. 

I've been intrigued by Ecobricks for a year or two now, and have been trying to get Lucie on the podcast for the last six months or so. Lucie is the UK's Ecobrick Queen, the 1st UK certified trainer, and all round wonder-woman. And she steadfastly refused to come on the podcast until I had made my very own Ecobrick. And I procrastinated, and faffed, until eventually Lucie sent me a 'make your own Ecobrick kit' to make it as easy as possible for me. And even then it still took me a good couple of months to get round to it. But at last it was done, and it was a really useful experience to make one.

In this podcast we dive into everything Ecobricks - what they are, why they came into being, what we can do with them, and how to make them. I also asked on my FB page what people wanted to know about them, and posed several of those questions to Lucie, especially regarding the issues around whether they actually encourage plastic use, and any damage they might do the environment as and when they degrade. 

It was a really interesting chat (I hope you agree) and it was great to be able to cut through some of the hype and hysteria that sometimes surrounds them, and speak to someone who lives and breathes Ecobricks and is truly passionate about the positive impact they can have, not just on the sheer volume of plastic we're pumping out, but on communities and individuals as well. 

Be prepared, this is a slightly longer episode than normal, but with half-term coming up I figured you might be looking for something to keep you (and the kids!) entertained on long car journeys if you're off on your hols

• Ecobricks International
  - Website
  - Catalyst programme for businesses
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
• Ecobricks UK - Facebook group
• New Forest Aquaponics - Lucie's website with all the UK ecobrick info on
  - Lucie's Facebook page which has lots of info on ecobricks and workshops etc
  - Lucie's next Ecobrick workshop - 1st June near Southampton
• The link to the  post detailing how to make your very own Ecobrick tablelamp
  
• ​The link to sign up for the Sustainable(ish) Sunday newsletter

This is internet speak for "Too long, didn't listen" (it's usually TLDR - too long didn't read). I had to look it up.
In my mind you all eagerly await each new episode of the podcast and sit down in your favourite chair with a cuppa and a piece of cake in blissful peach and quiet to listen, or you're listening while you're out striding around some rugged landscape or other with your photogenic dog running along at your side.
In reality, we're all time poor and I concede that you might not have a free hour+ without extraneous noise at any point other than when you're asleep. So here are the take home nuggets:

- Ecobricks are plastic bottles packed with clean, dry, shredded plastic to create a dense 'brick like' structure.
- They can be used to create whole buildings when covered with 'cob' in the wattle and daub style that we might all remember learning about in history classes in school, and in the developing world schools and houses have indeed been made from them.
- Ecobricks made in the UK stay in the UK, and are used as close to where they are made as possible.
- If you want to use the Ecobricks that you've made in your home, a great project is an Ecobrick stool.
- If you have no use for your Ecobricks personally, you can find a local project that will use them, or start your own community project (things like friendship benches and raised beds for gardening are popular).
- The process of making an Ecobrick is not a 'get out of jail free card' that absolves you of any need to think about and reduce your plastic consumption. Partly because it's actually bloody hard work making one and not for the faint hearted. And partly because the sheer act of collecting all your plastic to go into your Ecobrick will horrify you and is pretty much guaranteed to see you committing to changes to reduce it.
- Ecobricking is not a substitute for applying our old fave the Waste Hierarchy and looking to REFUSE, REDUCE and REUSE plastic before we resort to Ecobricking it.