: How We Used 5 Lakh Plastic Waste Bottles To Build A Resort #IndiaNEWS #Innovation “Since 2012, I have been working as a diving instructor in the Andaman islands. From day one, I saw a huge amount

How We Used 5 Lakh Plastic Waste Bottles To Build A Resort #IndiaNEWS #Innovation
“Since 2012, I have been working as a diving instructor in the Andaman islands. From day one, I saw a huge amount of plastic waste on the island. So, I decided that if I ever start a business, it would be something that doesn’t harm the environment,??? Zorawar Purohit tells The Better India.
While working as a diving instructor, Zorawar doubled as a tour guide of sorts for the tourists enquiring about the island’s luxurious hotels. “During my training sessions, my patrons would always enquire about the best resort or good food available on the Island. It was then that I planned to build a getaway that provided good food and accommodation,??? says the 31-year-old, adding, “But most of the construction on the island results in pollution, deforestation and other problems that affect the environment. So, I wanted my getaway to be different from others. ???
He further shares, “In the 580-odd islands that make up the Andamans, there is no proper system for recycling plastic. This is how the idea for Outback Havelock was born. ???
Roping in three of his friends, in 2017, Zorawar along with Akhil Verma, Aditya Verma and Rohit Pathak established Outback Havelock, an eco-friendly establishment which recycled 5,00,000 waste plastic bottles sourced from the island.
Making of the ‘recycled’ hotel

The group of friends researched on French architecture, which used plastic bottles as construction material that was reportedly sturdier.
Plastic bottles filled with sand and dust used as construction material are “more than 10 times stronger than brick and also water resistant???. With this goal in mind, they collected waste plastic bottles from different dumpyards in the Andamans and started the construction of their resort.
“Apart from the 5,00,000 plastic bottles, we also collected 500 kilograms of rubber waste for the construction. The bottles were used for the making of luxury rooms while the rubber was used to make the footpaths in the resort,??? Zorawar says.
But creating a quaint getaway while recycling waste, smackdab in the middle of Havelock, was no mean feat. “We faced many difficulties, with the biggest being getting hands-on experience of building a hotel. Secondly, it was a challenge to convince the labourers to attend workshops on construction using waste plastic bottles. In comparison to other constructions, our’s took much more time. But the end result was good,??? Zorawar says, adding, “Our resort has eight jungle view luxury rooms and a 60-seater cafe as well. ???
The Outback Havelock has a total of nine employees. Though, the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns served a mean blow to the business.

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