Got Plastic Pots? Recycle 'em

from Star Tribune

Gardening is green, but garden waste is not. Horticultural plastic pots take up a lot of space in landfills and don't readily decompose. But they can be recycled. Just gather up all those unwanted pots, cell-pack trays and hanging baskets you've accumulated, and bring them to a participating garden center for recycling.

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association has brought back its popular recycling program this season, now through Nov. 1. The plastic will be re-used after it is processed and distributed to manufacturers looking for recycled plastic.

Gardeners can drop off cleaned plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell pack trays and hanging baskets, with metal hangers removed. Only plastic pots, trays and baskets will be accepted; no clay pots or household plastic.

Some garden center drop sites will accept garden plastic all season, through Nov. 1. Participating Twin Cities metro-area centers include: Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply (Forest Lake), Bloomingon Garden Center (Bloomington), Down in the Valley Nursery (Buffalo), Hermes Floral Garden Center (St. Paul), Linder's Garden Center (St. Paul), Lotus Lawn & Garden (Chanhassen), Malmborg's (Brooklyn Center and Maple Grove), Mickman Brothers (Ham Lake), Minnesota Green (Shakopee), Minnesota Valley Garden Center (Shakopee), Mom's Landscaping and Design (Shakopee), Mother Earth Gardens (Minneapolis), Otten Bros. Nursery and Landscaping (Long Lake), Peterson Produce (Delano), Prairie Restorations (Scandia and Princeton), the Mustard Seed (Chaska), Turtle Creek (Owatonna), Uncommon Gardens (Minneapolis) and Wagner Greenhouses (Minneapolis).

Other participating garden centers will accept plastic for recycling only on June 20-21 and Sept. 19-20. For a complete list, visit www.gardenminnesota.com.

KIM PALMER