SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering Volume 8 Issue 9, 7-13, Sep 2021 ISSN: 2348 – 8352 /doi:10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V8I9P102 ©2021 Seventh Sense Research Group® This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Original Article Effect of Plastic Bottle Arrangement on the Performance in Self-Compacting Concrete Block Ahmed Omar Robleh 1 , David Otieno Koteng 2 , Charles Karimi Kabubo 3 1 Graduate student, Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and, Innovation, Pan African University, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Professor, School of Civil  Resource Engineering, The Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya 3 Senior Lecturer, Sustainable Materials Research and Technology Centre, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya Received Date: 16 August 2021 Revised Date: 23 September 2021 Accepted Date: 05 October 2021 Abstract - This study aims to determine the effect of plastic bottle arrangement on self-compacting concrete (SCC) blocks. SCC was adopted because of lack of spacing and fear of damaging the bottles during the compaction. 350 ml plastic bottles were used with four different arrangements inside the SCC blocks. The plastic bottles reduced the volume of concrete needed by 23%. The size of blocks used in the study was 400x150x200 mm. The blocks were tested for compressive strength, density, and absorption according to the ASTM C140 standard. In addition, thermal conductivity and ultrasonic pulse velocity were also conducted. The SCC blocks with bottles satisfied the ASTM C129 requirements for non-load bearing blocks in terms of strength, absorption, and lightweight blocks. This study has also indicated that the thermal conductivity could be reduced by up to 56% compared to the SCC blocks without bottles. Therefore, it is recommended that the construction industry can use these blocks to minimize the dead weight of buildings and provide an avenue for the disposal of plastic waste. Keywords - concrete block, plastic bottles, self-compacting concrete, waste management. I. INTRODUCTION Industrialization, rapid urbanization, and increasing population are some of the greatest challenges the world faces in this century. Most of the products produced for our luxury are responsible for the pollution of the environment, such as plastics that must be disposed of properly or recycled to maintain the beauty of nature [1]. The quantity of plastics consumed has increased annually due to its versatility, lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, durability, low maintenance requirements, design flexibility, good vibration damping, and waterproof qualities [2]. Therefore, waste control has become an actual concern for society and is necessary for environmental protection [3], [4]. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) can flow and fill through any obstacle simply by its weight without an external vibration method. Self-compacting concrete varies by the high deformity, good segregation resistance, severe viscosity, and construction quality of conventional concrete [5]. Andreas Froese [6] has proposed the use of plastic bottles to construct concrete buildings where polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are placed in the walls panel with mortar to structure shape. Many attempts have been made to evaluate the compressive strength of concrete blocks with bottles contained. Safinia and Alkalbani [7] conducted a study using plastic bottles in masonry units. Their finding indicated that the average compressive strength was 10.2 MPa at 28 days. The strength was acceptable according to the standard as a concrete block. The author also demonstrated that the plastic bottles in the masonry unit lowered the block's weight and made the block more practical for building construction. The plastic bottle was horizontally positioned in the loading direction, and the bottle was not completely covered. Wonderlich et al. [8] tested the compressive strength of concrete masonry units with a different brand of plastic water bottle on a single disposition and reported that the compressive strength of the masonry unit with the plastic bottle is reasonable and fulfilled the standard requirements. They also indicated the diameter of the bottles had a significant effect on the strength of the blocks. Muyen et al. [9] performed a study on the strength properties of a plastic bottle filled with sand in bricks and their suitability as construction material. they found that using the plastic bottle in brick, the strength obtained 19,9 MPa at 28 days, and it was stronger than the concrete block and conventional brick. Jadhav et al. [10] studied the influence of plastic bottles in the concrete section and observed that the compressive strength of the block relies on the number and size of the bottles. The bottle was placed in a straight and zigzag position.