PLASTIC RECYCLING
Partner program to reduce, reuse, and recycle
Plastic consumption is certainly on the forefront of environmental concerns when it comes to the horticulture industry, especially as our blue box program here in Durham Region does not accept plastic pots and trays. In 2015, we implemented a recycling system in partnership with our plastic pot supplier, East Jordan Plastics.
Any damaged pots or trays are sorted by recycling number here in our production greenhouse and compressed into bales (we can recycle #2, #5, and #6). Between one to two times per year, we ship all our compressed plastic back to our supplier, who completes the recycling process and produces new plant pots from 100% recycled material while ensuring maximum energy efficiency.
100% recyclable by 2022
In 2021, 95% of all the plastic that we grew our plants in here at Vandermeer Nursery are recyclable, and we will be 100% recyclable by 2022! (Note: purchased-in plants that are grown by other suppliers unfortunately cannot be part of this guarantee and recycling capabilities depend on their plastic pot suppliers.) In 2020, we recycled 8,514 lbs of plastic, and we hope that by increasing the awareness of this program, we can increase that volume as well!
Recycling your plastic pots & trays with us
We not only run this program with our own used plastic- we also collect containers back from our customers! Next time you stop by, be sure to bring back any of your empty plastic pots and trays to our collection bins (note: they don’t have to be from us but should contain the recycling symbol with #2, #5, or #6 on it). Even better than recycling is reusing, which is why we encourage customers who are looking to reduce their plastic consumption to take whatever they like from our pot recycling bins rather than buying new. Any plastic that is leftover or damaged is recycled through our system.
If you wish to learn more about the recycling process and our partnership with East Jordan Plastics, check out their website for more information on how their systems work.