A solar water heater made of PET bottles
The government of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná has been conducting an interesting experiment in in environmental design utilizing waste materials. Since August 2006, Paraná state agencies have sponsored projects to construct solar water heaters constructed from used PET bottles and long-life (aseptic) milk packaging. So far some 3,000 such heaters have been constructed and put into operation in 254 Paraná municipalities, in the process diverting about 1.2 million PET bottles and aseptic milk cartons that otherwise might have gone into landfills. It takes 200 PET bottles and 200 aseptic milk cartons to construct the solar water heater array.
It's estimated that if the heater is used to heat the water for two bathrooms, it can save as much as 120 kilowatts per month. The concept was first proposed by José Alano, who in 2004 had received the Ecology award from the Brazilian magazine Superinteressante. Alano received the support of Paraná state government, and the "Hot water for all" project of the state's Zero Waste Program was born. To start with, the water heaters were installed in the regional offices of various departments of the State Environmental System. They have also been installed on several university campuses around the state. Some of the waste collectors enlisted in gathering the materials were so impressed with the solar heaters that they built their vown for their association's headquarters.
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