product focus: eco-friendly products
Recycle
THIS!
Pots, fl ats and other horticultural plastics can be a challenge to recycle. But the options are expanding, and
programs are cropping up in communities all over the country to handle these products more effi ciently and safely.
By Arthur Cameron
hanks to their lightweight, versatile nature, plastics have states, such as New Jersey, have developed programs to facilitate
T
found a multitude of uses in crop production and land- the collection of greenhouse plastics. Some professional
scaping. Around the world, millions of tons of plastic horticulture groups, including the Minnesota Nursery &
are used each year to cover greenhouses, make con- Landscape Association, have developed programs to col-
tainers and plug fl ats, and even mulch vegetable lect plastic, and some retailers — both big boxes and
row crops. However, the fate of plastic in our environment independent garden centers — have initiated programs
is a serious issue. to collect and recycle plastic containers and trays from
Our “green” industry has not always been so green gardeners. All of this is good news.
when it comes to reusing and recycling the vast quantity of One of the most successful recycling programs in
plastic generated. Landfi lls are not an appropriate option, the country for horticulture pots and trays was devel-
and unless it’s stringently controlled, burning can release oped by Steve Cline at the Missouri Botanic Gardens. He
potentially dangerous compounds into the atmosphere. Con- has teamed with local retailers and recyclers to develop
tainers can be reused, but there are issues related to sorting, a model program that is the envy of everyone who’s seen
cleaning and disease control. Greenhouse coverings and mulch it. There are several drop-off points in Greater St. Louis,
fi lms cannot be reused because they deteriorate under UV radia- and the collected plastic is transported to a single location
tion. Plus, horticultural plastics get dirty. for grinding. He has been able to secure funding for col-
Several different types of plastic are used in the horticul- lection bins specifi cally designed and labeled for horti-
tural industry, including low-density polyethylene, high- cultural plastic. At this time, Cline and his team are
density polyethylene, polypropylene and high-impact poly- grinding all the plastic together without sorting, and it
styrene. To maintain the highest quality of the recycled is eventually made into landscape timbers. They even
product, these need to be carefully sorted and handled sep- have their own grinder! According to the botanic gar-
arately. And even when properly sorted, various contami- den’s website, the Plastic Pot Recycling program has
nants including soil and organic matter reduce the quality saved more than 680,000 pounds (340 tons) of plastic
of recycled plastic compared to virgin material. Every time garden pots, cell packs and trays from landfi lls since
plastic goes through the recycling process, contaminants its inception.
and structural degradation reduce the quality of the plastic,
such that it may become more diffi cult to remanufacture the What You Can Do
same product. Until we can generate revenues and support for such
facilities, the rest of us can do our best by identifying local
The Good News recyclers and working out collection mechanisms. Many
The good news is that there seems to be an ever- recycling companies require a minimum amount of
expanding number of opportunities for recycling horticul- plastic before pickup. This can require that you store
tural plastic. Not long ago, plastic was thrown into land- plastic until you’ve accumulated an adequate amount
fi lls or even shipped away to places like China. Now, there or that you band together with several area retailers
are even cities that collect horticulture plastic curbside, a and combine your plastic. Localized collection sites,
trend that would be great to see all over the country. Prices preferably with capacity to bale and grind plastic,
for recycled plastic are improving after a drop last year, and would be ideal. Some retailers and growers have pur-
there is more interest from the plastic recycling companies chased used semis for on-site storage until collection.
to learn how to collect, sort, clean, grind and sell horticultural Volunteer-staffed recycle drives are still an important
plastics. It seems to be getting easier to fi nd companies willing means of collecting plastic and directing it to appropriate
to partner with community organizations for recycling events. Some recycling companies. These can be organized by individuals,
18 Lawn & Garden Retailer November 2009 www.lgrmag.com
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