Did you just finish planting a garden and now you’re wondering what to do with all those black plastic plant pots? Unfortunately, Garden In A Box’s nurseries are unable to take them back (we’ve asked!). But here are some ideas on how to reuse or recycle them without sending them straight to the landfill.
CLEAN
Pots and flats should be cleaned and sterilized before each new gardening season to prevent the spread of plant disease. Scrub off dirt and grime with soapy water, and sterilize your plastic pots in one of the following ways:
Option 1: Soak in a mixture of 1-part household bleach and 9-parts water for 10 minutes. Rinse and allow to dry.
Option 2: Soak in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for 20 minutes (the brown bottles commonly found at the drugstore are 3%). Allow to dry.
Option 3: Soak in a mixture of 1-part vinegar and 3-parts water for 10 minutes. Rinse and allow to dry.
Option 4: Spray with white vinegar, wipe off with a clean rag, rinse and allow to dry.
REUSE
Once cleaned, you can use them in the following ways:
- Houseplant propagation or potting up
- Gifting houseplant cuttings or other plant seedings
- Seed starting veggies or flowers
- Turn small pots upside down in large houseplant pots to save on soil and keep potted plants lighter
- Broken pieces can be repurposed as drainage material in the bottom of other pots
- Get creative and paper mache the plastic pots for a fresh new look!
RECYCLE
Unfortunately, you CANNOT recycle these in curbside single stream recycling! If you are no longer using your pots and flats, bring them to one of these locations for reuse or recycling. Contact companies directly for further instructions.
Harlequin’s Gardens
4795 N 26th St.
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 939-9403
www.harlequinsgardens.com
Gulley Greenhouse & Garden Center
6029 S Shields St.
Fort Collins, CO 80526
(970) 223-4769
www.gulleygreenhouse.com
City Floral
1440 Kearney St.
Denver, CO 80220
(303) 399-1177
www.cityfloralgreenhouse.com
Your closest Lowe’s or Home Depot stores!
Call your local store for more information.
www.lowes.com
www.homedepot.com
Know of other uses or places that reuse or recycle these black plastic pots? Let us know at GardenInfo@ResourceCentral.org.
