Since 2 years my experimental tetrapack roof for the bamboo fence has been doing it tough in the sun… and still seems in good shape/condition. And now I have my super team workshop kids ‘bambu tukan’ to help make a tetrapack playhouse roof!
It’s a super-simple process to recycle/upcycle tetrapack and it’s nearly impossible to recycle that stuff any other way – except here in Bali, EcoBali rips it up mechanically and reprocesses it to make roofing sheets akin to corrugated iron… which I have used in my second bathroom at Freyr’s Bamboo House (but honestly I prefer the skylight effect of sliced plastic bottles tacked onto split bamboo… did i make a post about that?).
Anyway, for pet shelters and kids play houses like this one – tetra-pak does an ACE job. It’s a simple process similar to how grass roofing (alang alang) is made: Fold the tetrapak over a long stick of bamboo and use a staple-gun to attach to the bamboo and overlap them by 2cm so no leaks… then layer the pieces so there is also an overlap. Once all are installed, give an extra wave of staples to stop the upper tetras flying up in the breeze – as well it seams the layers together…
The biggest bonus is for the environment: Have you ever opened a tetra pak that hasn’t been washed… a few days after it’s been in the rubbish? That is probably on the list of worst experiences to have on planet earth. And the Smell and methane being generated by (especially) off-milk is one of the most grotesque things imaginable. Did I already say that? You get my point. So before you throw your next tetrapack to the rubbish… think of the people who sort your trash and make their day more pleasant by washing it out properly and even better… save em to make something like this!
This is that plastic bottle and split bamboo roof i was talking about (made in January 2019)… still leak proof and don’t need a light inside through the day (Next time i would paint the inside of the bamboo so it looks nicer… and the plastic bottle dips collect leaves/debris).
