How to Recycle Plastic Plant Pots
How to Recycle Plastic Plant Pots
Update, May 8, 2021 (original article published July 21, 2019):
I have recently learned that the recycling programs at Home Depot and Lowe’s may not be happening at all branches. However, I stopped at my local Lowe’s in Rocky River, Ohio yesterday (May 7, 2021) and they are still taking plant pots and trays for recycling. So just be aware that this program may be on a store-by-store basis depending on whether the management chooses to participate.
If you’re a gardener like me, you love the coming of spring when you get to plan out your flower and vegetable planting, and watch the growth of all your efforts as the season progresses. Unfortunately, there is one major byproduct of all this spring planting that is rather depressing if you are trying to cut down on the waste that you are putting out into the world. And that is the problem of how to recycle plastic plant pots.
I used to throw them into my recycling bin, but now, with the new stricter rules on what plastics are recyclable, I know that throwing them in my bin is considered contamination and can cause a big batch of plastics to be sent to the landfill. No matter how I try to avoid them by growing plants from seed or choosing biodegradable pots when I can or reusing them to plant stuff to give away to friends and family, I still inevitably end up with a bunch of flower pots cluttering up a corner of my garage by the end of the spring.
Options for Recycling Plant Pots
Then I was happy to learn that according to the recycling FAQ on Lowes.com, they take plant pots and trays for recycling. I found info on HomeDepot.com that says they also take plant pots for recycling.
Awesome! I thought. At least now I have an option that’s better than throwing them away. So one day when I was out and about, I spotted a Lowe’s and stopped in to the garden center to see if I could find the flower pot recycling drop-off. I searched all over the garden center and store and saw nothing. I stopped a staff member and asked him about where I could recycle plastic plant pots. He looked at me with a blank stare and said he’d never heard anything about it.
Oh dear, I thought. Maybe that info was old and they aren’t doing this anymore. But then again, he was kind of a young kid and maybe he was new and just didn’t know. I decided to try a different store on another day, this time the store closest to my home that I would be most likely to frequent. I again didn’t see any sign of a drop-off for plant pot recycling, I was expecting to see a big labeled bin or something. I asked the lady at the garden center checkout, and she directed me to this set of shelves next to / behind the checkout area:
How many people would find or notice this? It’s almost like they don’t want people to know. I asked her what happens to the items left here. She said that if they are the type of pots and trays that they use, they will be cleaned and reused, if not they’ll be, “thrown into a recycling bin.” Of course, without actually being able to follow that bin and see where the plastic goes, there’s no way of really knowing whether these items actually get recycled. I would love to hear from someone who actually works at Lowe’s or Home Depot who might know what really happens to the items we drop off, whether they are truly getting reused and recycled, or if they mostly just end up in the trash.
Anyway, I decided that leaving them here is at least potentially better than throwing them in the trash, so I’ll give it a try. I came back a few weeks later to drop off my pots and trays. I did notice that they added a sign that I don’t remember seeing the last time I was here, which looked like this:
It’s a little hard to read because the sun was so bright that day, but it says “Pots and Trays Recycled Here.” I went to find the drop-off area and the shelving unit had disappeared and it was just a pile of stuff that looked like trash. Again, if I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have known that I could just drop my pots and trays there, since the area is not labeled in any way. But now you know.
If you do not have a Lowe’s or Home Depot nearby, ask your local garden center whether they will take back trays and pots, I have heard that many will. As I mentioned in my update above, this recycling program seems to be on a branch-by-branch basis and I am not sure how prevalent it is across the country. Let me know in the comments below whether your local home improvement stores are taking plant pots for recycling.
Thanks for your post. FYI: Petiti’s Garden Center in Avon has a container where you can place trays and pots for reuse (theoretically). But the designated container is not marked at all and is located in an area where customers do not normally go. They explained that they had trouble with people throwing trash in there, which I don’t doubt, but they could still make the opportunity known. We only found out about it because we asked.
Good to know about Petitti’s, thanks! I believe it when they say people throw trash in there, anytime I look in a public recycling container, there is always tons of trash and food mixed in. I wish people cared more about recycling correctly, but so many just don’t. Moral of the story is, sometimes you just have to ask!
Thanks for your post! I checked at Ace Hardware and they do not accept plastic flower pots for recycling. I will check with my closest Home Depot.
Same thing happened to me. I also saw in one of the articles the growers took back the pots to reuse. Sigh…..
today is May 6, 2021 and I was told at my local Lowes in NC that they no longer accept nursery pots for recycling
the website has not been updated and the last post that mentioned recycling was posted in 2019 almost 2 years ago
so far no luck in returning or recycling nursery pots in my area
Hi Kristine, that is really frustrating. I was out and about yesterday (May 7, 2021) and stopped at my local Lowe’s (Rocky River, OH) to see if they had discontinued this program, but there are now two prominent signs saying that they recycle pots. I went into the garden center and asked an employee about it and she confirmed that yes, they take pots for recycling and showed me where to leave them in a corner behind the checkout area.
So unfortunately this must be a decision by the management at your Lowe’s not to participate in recycling. I will update my article to reflect the fact that the plant pot recycling is on a store-by-store basis.
I asked our local Lowe’s where to put my pots for recycling and they told me they just throw them away. Bummer.
That sucks. I wish they had a consistent policy across all the stores.
… same sad story here in SJ California… Lowe’s employees will take them but acknowledged they are not recycling… (read just throwing them in the garbage) … HDepot despite web pages to the contrary also do not seem to be participating in this …
So frustrating.
I called and spoke with a person at both Home Depot and Lowes in Mentor OH. They say they do NOT recycle the pots for recycling. It is mentioned that they do on their sites.
Yes, it seems to be on a store by store basis, which is frustrating. I have not been to the Rocky River Lowes yet this summer, but hopefully they still take pots for recycling, they have done so for the past several years at least.
I have been a Gardner for years and have accumulated many flower pots and trays. When I started all my seeds, I used them, however I have gotten older and don’t need so many. According to the website lowes and home depot take them. This was not the case depends on the store, I made the mistake of talking to someone in gardening, had no idea what I was talking about. Asked for customer service and the manager I was told to bring them in and drop off at customer service, also ask name of person you talk. Plan on dropping them off today.
Hello, Green and Grumpy: I just found your excellent website. Our Lowe’s in Bowling Green KY stopped recycling garden goods years ago, but our local Habitat for Humanity is happy to take items for home gardening, as is a locally-owned nursery
that cleans and reuses the pots each season. It’s April 2023. I hope that someone sees this posting! All the best to fellow Earth Protectors!
Thanks for the tip!
It’s very frustrating. Our planet needs to be protected. I called Lowe’s, Home Depot, and several others. None are currently recycling. As one person pointed out, the employee said they take the but end up in store’s recycling or trash. That’s even worse than just putting them in your home trash. I’m in Texas, but the problem seems to exist everywhere.
I’ve been trying to grow as much as I can by seed to avoid this stuff altogether. I never 100% percent trust that any of these special recycling programs are really doing what they claim.