Get in the loop

The green industry is fully aboard the recycling bandwagon. Programs have sprouted across the nation to deal with horticulture plastics. Here’s a sample of initiatives underway. Have another to add to the list? Tell us about it! Send an e-mail to smartinez@gie.net.

Nursery-pot re-use program San Mateo County, Calif. Several garden centers in San Mateo County, Calif., accept rigid black-plastic pots and return them to growers for re-use. Consumers can view a list of participants online. This initiative is coordinated by RecycleWorks, a program of San Mateo County. www.recycleworks.org

Washington State plastic pot recycling program. Participating businesses offer plastic pot recycling to their customers as a community service. Some re-use the pots, as well.Many sites also accept plastic trays.

City of Vancouver nursery pot recycling. The City of Vancouver works with local garden retailers and Agri-Plas Inc. in Brooks, Ore., to recycle horticulture plastics. Nursery pots 5 gallons and smaller can be placed in the city’s blue recycling cart. Larger pots (or large quantities) can be dropped off at participating garden centers. Businesses with commercial quantities of nursery pots can work with Agri-Plas directly to accommodate recycling needs.

Missouri Botanical Garden. The Missouri Botanical Garden operates the most extensive public-garden recycling program in the nation. To date, the program has saved more than 800,000 pounds, or 400 tons, of plastic garden pots, cell packs and trays from landfills. Consumers can drop off pots at local garden centers or at the botanical garden. www.mobot.org/plasticpotrecycling/default.asp

Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. The association spearheads an annual recycling program for plastic pots, trays and hanging baskets. Garden centers throughout Minneapolis-St. Paul collect items from consumers. www.mnla.biz

Illinois Plastic Pot Recycling Initiative. Partners in this program include McLean County Master Gardeners, Ecology Action Center, Illinois State University, Town of Normal, McLean County and University of Illinois McLean County Extension Office. Consumers in this region of the state can drop off pots for recycling at four area garden centers. www.ecologyactioncenter.org/waste-solutions/garden-pots.shtml

East Jordan Plastics: Project 100%. EJP has implemented a “closed loop” plastic recycling process that uses proven plastic recycling technology. The company’s first plastics processing line in its 130,000 square-foot facility in South Haven, Mich., has the capacity to recycle over 10 million pounds of plastic material annually. Other plastic recycling lines will be added as needed. East Jordan Plastics can pick up loads of plastic across the United States and in some areas of Canada. www.eastjordanplastics.com/plastic-recycling.html

State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture. New Jersey Department of Agriculture works with Antek Madison Plastics Corp., Department of Veterans Affairs Lyons Greenhouse, East Jordan Plastics and Universal Commodity Services to recycle and re-use horticulture plastic.

Haviland Plastics. The company’s nursery container division introduced a recycling program in June. Haviland encourages nurseries and garden centers to consolidate loads to fulfill the minimum pick-up of one-half of a truckload (usually 12 pallets). www.havilandplastics.com/recyclinginfo.html

Houston Arboretum. The Arboretum has teamed up with a local recycler in an effort to keep pots and trays out of the landfills. Gardeners can drop off pots and trays at the arboretum in designated bins. www.houstonarboretum.org