Ok, so the new year is here and at the moment the shocking floods in Qld are looking pretty scary on the TV. Maybe its time for some good news. For the last 6 months, we have been trialling a pot recycling pilot system in conjunction with Garden City Plastics and Polymer Processors.
Basically there are 2 stillages stored at our nursery. As customers bring there old pots back to us, we fill up the stillages. When they are full, we call Polymer Processors and they swap over another 2 empty stillages. In the video below you will then see the process that returns the product back to Garden City Plastics who then make new black plastic pot. Its that simple.
We tried leaving the stillages in the front carpark, but people started to take the pots out after hours. You may think this is good that someone uses them, but it is unfair to the recycler who pays for the stillages to be picked up or dropped off. If any landscapers would like to do large drop-offs, they can call us, and we will arrange for them to drop directly into the stillages, without charge.
Remember, there are many council depots who also are accepting pots, but make sure they are polypropolene with the number 5 on the base of them. Pots made of other material, including biodegradable pots like those made of potato starch do not suit this process and in fact are a nuisance when mixed with the plastic pots. Please also ensure that excess dirt is removed from the pots.
It appears that little plastic sticks you often get with plants and the labels that they hold, are also made of the same plastic, so these can be added with the pots.
So finally many down to earth nursery staff can feel a little more at ease in the knowledge that it is now financially viable to recycle the pots into new pots. Plastic is a great product for growing plants as it is reduces incidence of disease and provides excellent drainage. Lets hope the potting mix industry can now provide greener options for all the plastic bags we use.
This video below shows the processes taking place to ensure a true recycling process for plastic pots: