Plastic pots

I save them, wash them, and reuse them,- for the most part. The others, I take to a local nursery who uses them there. Not much goes to waste here.

I was raised in a family which survived during the depression, and we were taught to used everything again and again, until it was not longer usable in its original form. Then we were encouraged to keep it and someday, we might need part of it elsewhere. I have even used cracked pots on inside of another.

Some people say I’m cheap, others say resourceful.

-- jroot

I also wash and re-use my plastic pots and trays.When they finally get so old that they fall apart I use them in the bottoms of bigger pots for drainage.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Sounds like you and I have a lot in common.
I have pots in the greenhouse that must be 10 years old. If you keep them out of the sun most of the year they do quite well. I get the neighbours saving milk cartons for me in the spring most years.
I have styrofoam food containers (large cups) that I bought at the grocery wholesale that have lasted for about 5 years so far.
There is no shame in common sense. <g>

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

I agree Bob.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I think i heard that one of the big grocery chains or perhaps it is a place like Home Depot have a drop off spot for all the old plastic pots.

Mine are stashed in a pile and will eventually go to a nursery.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

For the last seven years, I had been having a huge perennial sale evey May. I also have a pretty cart at the end of the driveway, that I sell perennials from in season. I literately used thousands of plastic pots and developed quite a network of people who would save all their pots and bring them to me. I also went to landscapers and nurseries asking for small pots that they wanted to get rid of.
I stopped having the sale this spring when I got a new full time job (though I still have the cart) and people still continue to bring me pots! I have enough saved now to do me for the next millinium.
Fortunately I know of a few people that also sell plants and need pots and have been passing most on to them.
But I do have to educate people now not to bring me pots any more! :)

Unfortunately, most of the nurseries and box stores that collect pots for “recycling” in fact, just throw them away. They have their own system of pots they use for sales and can’t use others and don’t have room to store them anyway. That’s why they were so eager to give them to me when I came calling.
They just offer a drop off for pots as a courtesy for customers.

I throw mine over the fence into the neighbors yard,

I re-use them (most of them) and the rest go to the landfill

-- Central northish Ontario

I wonder if recycle depots should use a grinder right at the depots rather than lugging the empties around for miles to chip them up anyway.
I’m not suggesting that they let the public use them but it could really save on cartage and “carbon”

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

we have a lot of “changing” to do in our society.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Oh, yeah, MsDeb, don’t we though? I have stacks of old “baby pots” out in the shed, but unfortunately the stacks keep growing. And the 6-packs annuals are sold in are too flimsy to try to reuse, so they end up in the landfill.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

You are so funny, Greenthumb. What a hoot !

-- jroot

I just wait near the fence until she is done planting her annuals, so when she leaves drop them over the fence.

Then I can hear her say “I swear I got rid of those plastic pots….............oh well”

-- Central northish Ontario

hahaha that’s funny

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

As most of my plants were “gifts from other gardeners”, I do not have a lot of them! I might have about 10 of them and I cut them in 3”or 4” strips and used them as borders for new seedlings in flowerbed: helps hubby when he decides to help with the weeding!! lol!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

“As most of my plants were “gifts from other gardeners”, I do not have a lot of them!”

Bad gardeners! Get then out there buying! <vbg>

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth