9 years of saving, 7 tonnes of plastic: The remarkable story behind this Costa Rican home

A Costa Rican mother’s nine-year struggle to secure a home has turned into an inspiring example of how recycled waste can be transformed into affordable and sustainable housing. Cindy Mora Abarca, a single mother from Alajuelita near San José, Costa Rica, spent years saving money to buy a small plot of land for herself and her six-year-old son, Fabrizio.

Abarca eventually purchased the land with the help of a loan. However, she did not have enough money left to build a conventional house. Her situation changed when organisations came together to help construct an unconventional but environmentally friendly home, according to Times of India.

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From nine years of saving to a new home

Abarca’s journey began with a simple goal: to provide her son with a permanent home. She spent nine years putting aside money before she was finally able to acquire the land in Lámparas, Alajuelita. But owning land was only the first step. The cost of constructing a traditional house remained a major obstacle for the family.

The solution came through a collaborative project involving Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble, Urbarium and recycled-materials group Ekojunto, as reported by The Times of India.

Seven tonnes of plastic transformed into a house

Instead of relying entirely on conventional construction materials, the project used recycled plastic waste to create interlocking building blocks. Around seven tonnes of recycled plastic were repurposed for the house. The plastic blocks were used to form the walls, turning material that could otherwise have ended up in landfills or waterways into a functional home.

The house was completed in just two months in 2018, providing Abarca and her son with a permanent place to live while also demonstrating how waste materials can be incorporated into housing projects.

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A model for sustainable housing

The project goes beyond one family's story. It highlights the possibility of combining social welfare with environmental sustainability. By converting plastic waste into construction material, the initiative offered a way to address two problems at once the shortage of affordable housing and the growing challenge of plastic pollution.

The story has recently resurfaced online, although reports about the number of volunteers involved have been clarified. Some accounts claimed that 800 volunteers built the house, while later reporting indicated that the figure referred to more than 800 hours of volunteer labour rather than 800 individual volunteers.