Edgar Mora

• Everyday Hero

Building Houses With Upcycled Trash Since 2009, Edgar Mora has led Ecuaplastic, an Ecuador-based company whose “mission is to give a second life to plastic waste, transforming it into high quality items.” Ecuaplastic is more than a mere recycling plant. Specializing in the creation of construction materials, Ecuaplastic is revolutionizing the practice of recycling itself, using the endless creativity of Edgar and his team to turn trash into treasure.  What Problem Is Ecuaplastic Addressing? Humanity’s impact on the environment has been a hot topic for decades now, and for good reason. As Edgar explains, “There is plastic floating in the five oceans. There are five immense plastic islands… There is almost no turning back from that. But if we continue to generate waste at the current speed, the sizes of waste islands will be higher than those of inhabitable islands.”  Edgar’s warning may sound apocalyptic, but from the perspectives of experts, he’s right. According to National Geographic, “The amount of plastic trash that flows into the oceans every year is expected to nearly triple by 2040 to 29 million metric tons.”