A PLASTIC free shop is making a desperate plea for help to rehome ecobricks as their shelves are heaving with bottles.

About 1,000 bottles packed tightly with plastic bags are crammed on shelves throughout the Pack It In in the Market Hall.

It has proven so popular that shop owner Phillipa Gilfillan has had to ask people to stop bringing them in while she desperately searches for groups to take them.

Row upon row of the bricks are currently lining three shelves at the zero waste shop which is believed to be the only place in Worcester collecting ecobricks.

Ecobricks are packed full of used unrecyclable plastic to make a dense 'brick' that can then be used to produce structures such as garden walls and furniture.

However, it has proved so popular that there is no more room in the shop to stock the ecobricks.

Mrs Gilfillan said: "We don't have room in the shop to take them anymore because the shelves cannot safely hold them.

"We need community groups to come forward and take some of the ecobricks which was what happened but then covid came and stopped that.

"Ideally, they should be used to audit how much plastic is being used in your home and then try to cut it down.

"That's the best thing to do."

Though they have paused collecting them in the shop, staff are currently taking names of people who have got a large number of ecobricks.

They are hoping to match them up with organisations and individuals hoping to use them for projects.

However, there are guidelines about how they can be used and fixed together to make sure they do not photo-degrade if left in the sun.

Ecobricks have to be registered and created to a specific weight which is written on the side of the bottle.

They have been used in other countries to build homes and there are tutorials online teaching how to make outdoor furniture from them.

"We would like to hear from people who can take them off our hands but we would suggest that they research how to use them first.

If you would like to use some of the ecobricks then either visit the shop or get in touch via the Facebook page facebook.com/packitinzerowasteliving.

Mrs Gilfillan will be running a session on how to create an ecobrick during Worcester Festival on Thursday, August 19 at the POD in Crowngate.