Application of Non‑Degradable Waste As Building Material for Low‑Cost Housing:

Building materials is one of the essential aspects in accommodating the supply and demand of low-cost housing in Indonesia. Recently, several researchers have devoted much time and effort to developing waste recycling for building materials since it is more ecologically benign, particularly for non-degradable waste. This article focuses on recycling disposable diaper waste as composite material for a structural and architectural component of the building based on Indonesian building standards. In addition to offering a broad perspective on the implementation of experimental findings, the design scenario comprised the construction of low-cost housing with a floorplan area of 36 m2.

The experimental results indicate that disposable diaper waste to use as composite materials for the building has a maximum capacity of 10% for structural components and 40% for nonstructural and architectural components. The prototype housing also reveals that 1.73 m3 of disposable diaper waste can be decreased and utilized for a housing area of 36 m2.

Low-cost housing is commonly understood as housing that is appropriate in quality and location. At the same time, it does not cost a level that prevents its occupants from meeting other essential living costs or affects people’s fulfillment of fundamental human rights. In most developing countries, access to appropriate and affordable housing is a present and growing issue. In some circumstances, the problem is not a shortage of housing but an inadequate source of income.

In other circumstances, income is relatively high, but home supply and financing are limited, making housing pricey—nonetheless, the widespread implementation of self-help housing programs in developing countries limited applicability. While popular processes of self-construction and bottom-up development did occur, these did not provide a long-term or massive solution to the enormous housing demands.

The high costs of two crucial inputs of land and building materials are a fundamental reason housing needs to be more attainable for the urban poor. Building materials are often the single most considerable tangible input into the construction of housing and can account for up to 80% of the overall worth of a simple residential dwelling. It leads to the cost factor becoming the first barrier to sustainable construction.

This is because building materials are essential to the structural integrity of the housing. To put it another way, if the price of building materials doubles in contrast to the median price of other commodities, the length of time that a household will be required to work to afford the price of building materials will also nearly double. The latter is problematic since many governments, both central and municipal, continue to insist on using conventional building materials and techniques.

The various building rules and regulations mandate these, the majority of which are either a holdover from the days of colonialism or were imported from other nations. These restrictions and standards prevent using building materials that are more appropriate and readily available in the local area. Additionally, these prevent the use of construction technologies that are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

There is a need for policies that would broaden people’s access to building materials that are both appropriate and economical. Similarly, it should financially support research and development efforts into cutting-edge building techniques. Construction plans and methods that are friendly to the environment and technology that are energy efficient and produce less pollution should be encouraged and made more readily available.

In this regard, several researchers have examined various materials used for low-cost housing construction divided into natural fibers, earthen materials, and industrial-building waste. The most common building applications for natural fiber materials (e.g. rice husk, sisal fiber, and banana leaves) are panel board, reinforced composite materials, and insulation. Therefore, the usage of lime and mud for nonstructural construction components like bricks for walls has become increasingly common when working with earthy materials.