Brazilian Firm Making Tile Out of PET Bottles

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jan. 18, 2010--A Brazilian engineer has figured out how to create tile using the plastic from PET bottles.

The decision of using plastic bottles as raw material took into consideration the low production costs and the sustainability factor. A PET bottle will take roughly 300 years to decompose in the environment.

Tile manufacturing company Telhas Leve (Light Tiles), established by engineer Luiz Antônio Pereira Fomariz, has 22 employees and posts annual revenues of approximately $736,000.

Each square meter of the tile costs $22.

Fifty tons of plastic bought bottles are bought each month from 65 cooperatives of collectors in the city of Manaus.

According to the company's website, the tiles feature added UV protection, and are thus highly resistant to sun rays. The product's expected lifespan is 40 years.

The tiles are not yet sold outside of Brazil.