Tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka may soon be living in homes built from the rubble of their previous houses under a radical new recycling scheme run by Lanka Environmental Recyclers Institute and Christian relief and development agency World Vision. Green Building Press reports that the environmentally friendly concept, in which rubble is crushed to make dust for bricks and shingle for foundations and road construction, is the brainchild of the Institute‘‘s chairman, Dr Ajantha Perera. The plan also includes chipping and composting organic debris littering tsunami-struck beaches and lagoons.

Dr Perera had the idea after seeing the Ampara coastline littered with rubble, wood and broken plants and trees. She said that recycling this material would mean so much more to Sri Lanka than just saving money. "We need to reduce the costs of rebuilding materials in Sri Lanka because the country just can‘‘t afford it," she said. "Sand is especially expensive. "But it‘‘s more than that".