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10 June 2025 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Anita Venter
According to Dr Anita Venter, eco-bricks help prevent further environmental degradation, a theme often highlighted by World Environment Day.

Students filling plastic bottles with tightly packed wrappers, chips packets, and cling wrap until they are sturdy may not look like revolutionaries, but that is exactly what they are. This Eco-Bricks initiative is a grassroots effort that transforms plastic waste into construction material, sparking environmental change from the ground up. From there, the possibilities multiply – from benches to buildings, and from awareness to action.

It is not just about just stuffing bottles; it is about shifting mindsets.

Dr Anita Venter, Lecturer in the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS), believes eco-bricks directly address the urgent need for solutions to plastic pollution. “By taking plastic out of the waste stream and giving it a new, useful life, we're actively participating in ecosystem restoration and preventing further environmental degradation, a theme often highlighted by World Environment Day.”

However, the Eco-Bricks project is doing more than managing waste. “Beyond this practical application, it serves as a powerful community development tool, empowering individuals to take control of waste management and fostering a vital environmental consciousness.”

And while we can dream of a plastic-free world, Dr Venter is grounded in today’s realities. “So, my approach is that I'd rather have plastic contained safely within a bottle – repurposed in a regenerative way – than seeing it break down into nano-plastics, poisoning our earth. This project is about finding practical solutions within our current reality.”

 

A no-cost solution 

Dr Venter does not lead from a podium; she is mentoring from the sidelines. “I'm primarily involved in mentoring our student champions. They are the real drivers, facilitating the eco-brick training peer-to-peer. It's about empowering them to spread the knowledge and skills, rather than me being the sole instructor. It’s a beautiful ripple effect.”

And ripple it does. “These initiatives continue in their communities, and that truly warms my heart,” she says. The students are taking the lessons home, creating a chain reaction of action and awareness. “It’s not just about building bricks; it’s about inspiring continued action.”

The concept’s biggest success story? Thousands of eco-bricks being used by the Natural Building Collective in the Western Cape for formalised buildings. Proof that what was started by students can reshape entire landscapes.

“I see eco-bricks as an incredible community development tool. What’s beautiful about it is that it’s a no-cost activity. Anyone who wants to start a community development initiative can pick it up, and they immediately reap the dual benefits of cleaning their environment and taking control of their own waste management. It’s very empowering on a grassroots level.”

 

Regeneration starts here

Dr Venter, who has been part of the initiative since 2013, sees it as integral to her broader environmental work as climate activist focusing on research related to housing, informal settlement upgrading, culture, socio-ecological development, regenerative design, and art. She is quick to connect plastic pollution to the deeper ecological crisis we face. “Plastic is a monumental environmental problem, rapidly leading to biodiversity collapse, which I honestly believe is a far more pressing issue than even the climate crisis itself. It’s stark – babies are now born with plastic in their tiny bodies, and these microplastics are found in every human organ. It’s a pervasive crisis.” 

With students and community leaders now steering the project, she is hopeful about the future: “The beauty of something so accessible and practical is that it doesn’t need top-down direction; it flourishes from the ground up as people recognise its value and adopt it.”

Dr Venter’s commitment to making waste meaningful goes well beyond the Eco-Bricks initiative. In the project What Remains Through Time, Slowness and Stillness, waste is transformed into meaningful art, and communities step into the role of co-creators. 

Using post-natural building techniques, the project incorporates both waste and natural materials, marrying ecological restoration with social transformation. Sites such as the Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein National Hospital, and Sekoele Holistic Living Arts Centre serve as hubs where participants can engage hands-on, learning new skills while strengthening their communities.

According to Dr Venter, the main activities at Oliewenhuis are from June to September this year. Here, the focus is on community collaboration and regenerative art that goes far beyond constructing physical spaces. “We’re aiming to break down social barriers and make art truly accessible and inclusive within public spaces. It’s as much about building community as it is about building structures,” she says.

So, what can you do?

Start where you are. Join an eco-brick or art-for-regeneration initiative. “Go beyond sustainability! We need to regenerate, to ‘renew, restore, revitalise’,” says Dr Venter. Attend a training event. Share what you learn. “That’s how we create real, lasting change – through shared knowledge and empowered action.”

News Archive

Kovsie’s short film in top 10 at Jozi Film Festival
2017-08-15

Description: The Ascension Tags: The Ascension, Dieter du Plessis, Kovsie student, Jozi Film festival, Discover Networks Africa  

The public can now vote for Dieter du Plessis’
short film, The Ascension, in the Don’t Stop Wondering
competition at the Jozi Film Festival. Photo: Supplied

An outdoor running adventure, a passion for filmmaking and a scenic environment is what made Dieter du Plessis create the adrenaline-driven short film The Ascension.

Dieter, a second year BSc Quantity Surveying student, made the film, which is in the top 10 of the Don’t Stop Wondering competition at the Jozi Film Festival, in partnership with Discovery Networks Africa. “I always had a passion for filmmaking and when a friend informed me about the competition, I just had to enter,” Dieter said.

The Ascension follows trail runner, Simeon du Toit, across a mountainous landscape leaping and running over rugged terrain. Simeon also provides the voice-over that explains the essentials of mountain climbing. Simeon is a keen climber and was the perfect casting choice as he is familiar with the area. “The competition wants to embrace the African spirit, so I wanted to shoot outside to truly capture the African landscapes.”

The Ascension first aired on the Discovery Channel on DStv channel 121 on 1 August 2017. It will air again on 17 and 23 August 2017 at 13:35 and 20:00 respectively. The competition closes on 30 August 2017.

 

To vote for The Ascension, go to the Discovery Africa website.

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