Dear Tee Cee: My neighbors and I are planting like crazy this time of year and have big gardening plans for this holiday weekend. We love the gardening, but in the process are creating quite a bit of gardening waste. I’m offering to figure out for all of us how best to dispose of these things: plastic planting pots of all sizes, empty large bags for compost/soil/fertilizer, and organic material like plant trimmings and weeds.
Thanks! Lynn Dear Lynn: Great job acting as a Zero Waste resource for your neighbors! Here’s what you need to know to be as “green” as your thumb! Plastic plant/flower pots: As always, it’s best to look at reuse options before recycling. Plant nurseries and stores as well as local farms will sometimes take back plastic pots in reusable condition. Ask about plant pot reuse when you make your plant purchases from the nursery or call around to some of your local nurseries.
If there’s no take-back option, consider if you or your neighbors could reuse them for plant starters or plant sharing. If your pot has a #2 or a #5 printed on the bottom, you can empty it of any soil or plant residue and recycle it in your curbside single-stream recycling cart. Smaller four-pack and six-pack pots and pots marked with a #1 or a #6 are not recyclable and will either need to be reused or landfilled.
Plastic compost/soil/fertilizer bags: These are not recyclable, but there are ways to avoid the bag by buying these products in bulk. Local landscaping companies inc.