Giving Compass' Take:

• Melbourne's RMIT University has a team of researchers who found that waste leftovers called biosolids can be converted into eco-friendly bricks. 

• Researchers also found that the production of biosolids is environmentally friendly and takes almost half the energy to produce compared to traditional bricks. How can donors support this initiative?

• Read about families who are building entire eco-friendly homes in Wales. 

For those who live with modern sewage systems, the human waste combines with water and is carried through sewer pipes to a treatment plant, where urine and fecal matter are divided and purified. The treated waste leftovers, known as biosolids, then often end up in landfills or tossed in oceans.

A team of researchers from Melbourne’s RMIT University have demonstrated that baking the sand-like biosolids into bricks could be a safe, eco-friendly solution for the global mass of sewage sludge and the harmful mining of soil necessary for traditional brick manufacturing.

"Using biosolids in bricks could be the solution to these big environmental challenges,” said lead research investigator Abbas Mohajerani. “It’s a practical and sustainable proposal for recycling the biosolids currently stockpiled or going to landfill around the globe.”

The production of the biosolid bricks is cheaper and uses almost half the energy of standard bricks. They also reduce the need for clay mining and have a lower thermal conductivity, which means they are better insulators, in turn, keeping buildings naturally warmer in winter.

The workability of biosolids has become increasingly well known in recent years. While growing amounts are now used to enhance soil conditions and stimulate plant growth, almost 30% remain unused or sent to landfills.

Before large-scale production can begin, the bricks will undergo further comprehensive strength testing.

Read the full article about eco-friendly bricks by Erica Sanchez and Madeleine Keck at Global Citizen