Ask a Master Gardener: Where Can I Recycle Plastic Plant Pots?
Greetings, fellow gardeners of the north. As a Hennepin County Master Gardener, I’m used to fielding questions about gardening. From “does my ash tree have emerald ash borer?” to “why do I never get any tomatoes?”
This month, I received a more unusual question, though one that’s becoming more popular with sustainable gardening activists…
Q: Where can I take my black plastic pots and trays to be recycled?
A: This time of year, I always find myself with a large box of leftover plastic plant pots and trays. What to do with them?
Unfortunately, they can’t be recycled through most cities’ curbside recycling programs, since black plastic is not accepted. The reason? Machines at facilities that accept unsorted recyclables use optical scanning to “look” for plastics, which they fish out of the stream of recyclable materials.
As cool as these machines are, they are not (yet) sophisticated enough to “see” black plastic. Therefore, most cities do not accept black plastic for recycling.
What’s an earth-minded gardener to do about plastic pots?
First, ask yourself whether you can repurpose any of the pots for your own use. If you do any seed starting, sturdier pots can be used several times before their lifespan is up. I’ve been using the same black plastic pots to start seeds for several years now. Just be sure you clean them thoroughly with hot, soapy water with a bit of bleach added to it to kill any pathogens that might be clinging to them.
Once you’ve set aside the ones you can reuse, it’s time to figure out where you can take the rest for recycling.
Try your local ‘big box’ store for plastic pot “reuse”
Home Depot accepts many plastic pots through their partnership with East Jordan Plastics—I called my area’s Home Depot in Richfield to confirm. Lowe’s accepts plastic pots AND trays. The friendly folks at the Lowe’s in Plymouth confirmed. Each location may vary on what it accepts, however, so be sure to call first or ask while you’re there shopping.
Finally, you can also take steps to avoid this problem in the first place by seeking out plants that are started in compostable containers, or save money and avoid black plastic by starting more of your perennials the easy way with winter sowing.
Have a gardening question? Send it to info@northerngardener.org. Occasionally, I’ll choose a question to answer right here. If I don’t get to your question, come visit a Master Gardener booth at a local farmer’s market or call the Yard & Garden line at (612) 301-7590. We live for this stuff.
Other helpful resources:
The Master Gardener Volunteer program
Jennifer Rensenbrink is a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer for Hennepin County. She somehow has two mini-prairies on her tiny south Minneapolis property.
Good to know about why the black plant pots can’t be recycled. I’ve read the Proven Winners brand white pots are acceptable in the curbside recycling. Is this accurate information?
Thank you for writing specifically about the black plastic issue with single sort recycling. I don’t think that is widely known. Another option that has worked for me is posting them for free online. I’m usually able to find someone that needs them, especially if I’m willing to deliver!
Wonderful information. Thank you!
I would like to add to check with the local garden center you purchased from as they may reuse a great portion of those containers and trays or perhaps their employees will reuse or they can get them in the hands of local gardening clubs!
Is white garden phlox considered a native plant?
Do you know what happens to them after you give them to Lowes or Home Depot?
At Lowe’s, they sit on the cart where you drop them off for others to grab as needed. The last time I made a drop in the fall, there was a couple there grabbing items and they were very happy to take some of my stuff, especially the hanging baskets. So really it’s not a recycling drop-off but a reuse drop-off.
Hello,
Each year I drag my Bougainvillea in to the house and back out in late spring.
I have never been able to get it to bloom –
below some of the advice from gardeners I have tried-
a. More fertilizer.
b. Holding off water (Some advise to treat like a weed).
c. Pruning it.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you
It should be clarified that some black plastic has a number on it. In my county, I can recycle any color of plastic with a 1, 2, 4, or 5 on it including the black ones. I checked with our environmental person in the county and he said he had never heard of the machine not being able to “see” black but said that’s very possible with some recycling programs. In our county, it is hand sorted. Of course this is not the case in the metro, but may be so in rural counties. I’d suggest checking with local garbage haulers and county environmental programs (wherever you are) to see what they accept. It is different from place to place. Also interesting, our local nursery checked with the county on what to do with all of the leftover unnumbered black plastic they had. The county took all that which is encouraging. They do have a place they can take it to. Please remember there are many hort society members outside the metro area. This is a complex issue – so again, check locally.
How do I reach out to a Master Gardner to discuss a larger project (getting rid of front yard and replacing it with a pollinators paradise)?
Hi Kymberly. Master Gardeners don’t generally do one-on-one education, with a couple exceptions, including the Lawns to Legumes program—they provide personalized coaching from native plant enthusiasts (some of whom, like me, are Master Gardeners). You can even apply for a grant to help purchase the new plants for your front yard. Here is some information on the program:
https://bwsr.state.mn.us/l2l
Home Depot in Duluth Minnesota does NOT take plant pots for recycling. I called and asked.