Forget the brick: A company from Santa Catarina has created a recycled plastic block that eliminates the need for cement and mortar, assembled like interlocking modules, and according to the manufacturer, is more resistant than conventional brick and concrete block.

Written by Maria Heloisa Barbosa Borges

Published on 03/06/2026 at 14:54

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Moduplast, from Tubarão, in the south of Santa Catarina, created a recycled plastic block that assembles like interlocking pieces and eliminates the need for cement and mortar. According to the manufacturer, the product is more resistant than the common brick and concrete block, and will be showcased at the CasaPronta Fair.

Forget the brick and cement: a company from Santa Catarina is betting on a recycled plastic block to build walls without mortar. Moduplast, from Tubarão, in the south of the state, is bringing the innovation to the CasaPronta Fair, which takes place from Wednesday (3) to Sunday (7), featuring a 21-square-meter studio entirely assembled with the modules.

According to the owner, Vandinei Godoi, the plastic block eliminates the need for cement, mortar, or any kind of paste: the walls are assembled by interlocking, like a large puzzle. He also claims that the product is more resistant than the conventional brick and concrete block, in addition to helping the environment by reusing plastic that would otherwise end up as waste.

How the plastic block that eliminates cement works

Manufacturing process uses plastic packaging as raw material
Photo: Moduplast

The great idea of the system is the interlocking assembly. Instead of laying brick upon brick with paste, the plastic block from Moduplast connects like pieces of a puzzle, without the need for cement or mortar.

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From waste to wall: how the block is manufactured

The raw material comes directly from recycling. The process of the plastic block begins with the collection of recyclable materials, such as packaging, PET bottles, and straws.

This plastic goes through extrusion, a stage where it is shredded into small flakes, and then it is conditioned to form the blocks used in constructions.

For the manufacturer, the result is a material with advantages over the common brick. Godoi states that the blocks are lightweight, resistant, and immune to corrosion, rotting, and termite attacks, frequent problems in conventional constructions.

Moduplast positions the product as a solution that combines durability and sustainability, by giving a new purpose to plastic that would otherwise end up in the trash.

How much it costs and what the manufacturer promises

Constructions with recycled plastic block can cost up to R$ 1,500 per square meter photo: Moduplast — Constructions with recycled plastic block can cost up to R$ 1,500 per square meter
photo: Moduplast

The price varies according to the project. According to Moduplast, the square meter built with the plastic block ranges from R$ 1,500 to R$ 3,000, depending on the type of fastening, structure, and finishes chosen.

The cost covers the kit with the modules and the structural components that support the walls.

A note of balance: the promise that the material is more resistant than the brick and concrete block comes from the manufacturer itself.

Modular plastic block systems are growing in Brazil and abroad and are often praised for their speed, cleanliness of the construction, and low maintenance, but the performance and recommended uses depend on the structural project and technical standards.

Therefore, those intending to build should check certifications and the indicated purpose before completely dispensing with cement.

The CasaPronta Fair and the trend of plastic blocks

Studio will be showcased at the CasaPronta Fair

The product showcase is the 14th edition of the CasaPronta Fair, which gathers more than a hundred exhibitors at Farol Shopping, in Tubarão, from Wednesday (3) to Sunday (7).

The event focuses on solutions, products, and trends in civil construction, and it is in this environment that the studio made of plastic block is expected to attract public attention.

The initiative by Moduplast is part of a broader movement.

Other companies, in Brazil and countries like Colombia, are also developing recycled plastic blocks that fit together like building pieces, aiming for quick constructions, affordable housing, and lower environmental impact.

It is a promising trend, although it depends on technical validation and scale to truly threaten the reign of brick and cement.

Replacing brick and cement with a recycled plastic block that assembles like Lego is the kind of idea that divides opinions between innovation and skepticism.

Tell us in the comments if you would live in a house made with plastic block and if you believe this system can really replace traditional construction.

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Forget the brick: A company from Santa Catarina has created a recycled plastic block that eliminates the need for cement and mortar, assembled like interlocking modules, and according to the manufacturer, is more resistant than conventional brick and concrete block.

How the plastic block that eliminates cement works

From waste to wall: how the block is manufactured

How much it costs and what the manufacturer promises

The CasaPronta Fair and the trend of plastic blocks

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Forget the brick: A company from Santa Catarina has created a recycled plastic block that eliminates the need for cement and mortar, assembled like interlocking modules, and according to the manufacturer, is more resistant than conventional brick and concrete block.

How the plastic block that eliminates cement works

From waste to wall: how the block is manufactured

How much it costs and what the manufacturer promises

The CasaPronta Fair and the trend of plastic blocks

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

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