Good stewards of the land and environmental champions often wonder how to reuse plastic plant pots. The last few generations have shown renewed interest in reusing cast-off items and there is more educational effort being made to help gardeners repurpose, or at best, recycle items that once went into our landfills.
The critical overfilled state of our garbage dumps, and lack of places to safely dispose of debris, leads us to consider what else we can do with our leftovers. While it's best to use less plastic in the garden, it's not always possible. One obvious example is the containers that plants come in when you buy them. Fortunately, there are some answers for what to do with old plastic plant pots.
Recycling Plastic Pots
Science suggests it can take 450 years or more to degrade a plastic pot in a landfill. And there are already nearly 30 million tons of plastics in these sites. Are plastic pots recyclable? They certainly are if your local center takes type 2, 5, or 6 plastics.
If you're asking the question, “Where to recycle plastic plant pots near me?” we suggest calling your local disposal company for info. You can also ask at local nurseries and garden centers.
Recycling is the responsible way to dispose of these common containers. But not every municipality handles these types of plastic. This leads us to find creative solutions outside of recycling plastic pots to reuse the containers in unique and novel ways.
Tips on Reusing Plastic Pots as Plant Containers
If you can’t recycle them, what should you do with old plastic plant pots? Since they are already plant containers, the obvious answer is to use them for plants. Just be wary that an old container could harbor diseases that might infect a new plant housed inside. Disinfect old plant pots to prevent spreading fungal and other diseases.
The larger containers are great to clean up and use for repotting plants in your container garden that are outgrowing their current home. Try growing your potatoes in a container that formerly housed a tree or other larger plant.
Smaller pots are useful for transplanting seed starts that have grown too big for flats when it's still too early to plant them out.
What To Do With Old Plastic Plant Pots
If you have more containers than you can use and don’t have a recycling center nearby, consider giving them away. Community colleges often have gardening programs and can use the containers. Schools often have spring plant sales. You may be able to donate them to your local Master Gardeners group or other gardening organization.
Smaller pots can be inverted as mini greenhouses for tender plants. This will also work to keep birds, rabbits, and other critters from eating young plants.
Plastic pots can be upended inside larger plant pots to serve as filler.
A fun way to use them is as worm composters. Drill holes in the container and bury it in the soil to the top. Fill the container with your kitchen scraps and let worms and other soil organisms break it all down. You might also bury them in the soil with plants that tend to spread aggressively. The collar around the container will keep runners from growing haphazardly.
Plastic Pot Crafts
In addition to utilizing plastic containers in the garden as useful tools, you can also use them as decorative items.
Drill holes in the containers and string rope through them to use stacked as a vertical garden.
Create a bee hotel by cutting some holes in the side and filling the pot with straw, leaf litter, and other dry organic items.
Make a birdfeeder by drilling some holes low on the container and gluing a plant saucer or plate to the bottom to catch the seed. Give the containers to the kids along with markers and paint. Let them decorate their containers and use them for a seed-starting fun and educational project.
Transform the containers for use inside by gluing burlap, fabric, or other material to the sides. Decorate the edges with whatever suits you. Or leave them as they are and use them as inserts inside containers that lack drainage holes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to clean plastic plant pots for reuse
First, scrub out any old soil. Then wash the container with dish soap and rinse it well. Finally, soak it in 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 10 minutes. You might also wipe the container out with rubbing alcohol. Household cleaners can kill some pathogens, but bleach is your best bet for complete disinfection.
Does Lowe’s recycle plastic plant containers?
Garden centers and nurseries will often take the larger containers but generally not the smaller or flats. However, larger garden centers may have recycling programs. Lowe's, for instance, has had a recycling program since 2011.