Luis Eduardo Guerra

Colombian environmentalist who transformed plastic waste into affordable housing

Luis Eduardo Guerra is a Colombian architect and founder of the social enterprise Reciclados Guerra, which pioneered the use of recycled plastic to construct low-cost housing. Starting in 2014, his team developed a patented process that converts discarded plastic into durable building materials. By 2019, they had constructed over 1,200 homes using this method in Colombia's informal settlements.

Guerra's breakthrough material, Plasticcrete, combines recycled plastic with cement to create panels that are 30% cheaper and 50% lighter than traditional bricks. This innovation reduces construction time by 40% while diverting 10 tons of plastic waste daily from landfills. His 2017 partnership with the Colombian government's Casa Propia program enabled construction of 500 homes in Medellín's slums.

In 2018, he launched the Plastic for Homes initiative, incentivizing communities to recycle through a points system exchangeable for building materials. This program diverted 250 tons of plastic annually while creating 300 jobs in Bogotá's marginalized neighborhoods. His TED Talk "How We Turned Plastic Waste into Homes" (2019) received 2M+ views, propelling international interest.

Guerra's work has been featured in National Geographic's 2019 documentary "Urban Plastic: The Colombia Solution". By 2020, his methods were replicated in Peru and Ecuador, demonstrating scalable solutions for urban poverty and environmental sustainability.