by Marie Chieppo
Plastics are deeply integrated into the horticultural industry, playing a ubiquitous role in plant production with containers, glazing materials, irrigation systems, and fertilizer coatings. Over the last half century, plastic plant containers have become the standard for production. Plastic presents many benefits to a container manufacturer. The feedstock (oil) is affordable and accessible, it can be molded into different shapes and sizes, the integrity throughout the production process is high, and plastic products transport easily. It is hard to imagine purchasing a plant not containerized in one. The paper I researched and authored for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers entitled: “Plastic Pots and the Green Industry: Production, Use, Disposal and Environmental Impacts,” clarified that as an industry we need to create sustainable alternatives to a plastic product that largely ends up in landfills. Since that article, container producers have been focusing on materials that are much kinder to the earth. A relatively new driving force are state regulations that insist less plastic must be included in each product. Beyond “it is the right thing to do”, a handful of states have regulations making it much harder to sell containers composed of 100% plastic. Growers and nurseries now need to figure out how they can create a more sustainable product, or pay steep fines.
The rise in plastic pollution laws should not be a surprise to anyone. Our country recycles merely 8% of all plastics we produce or import. We are swimming in our own sea of plastic, created by our very disposal-oriented lifestyle. Have you ever noticed how nature “handles” its waste? Its closed loop system returns energy to the soil to support the next generation of life. We, on the other hand, handle it in a much more linear fashion: we produce, use and dispose. What is left behind degrades over hundreds of years leaving toxins and chemicals in its wake.
As I researched the issue, it became very clear to me that our recycling infrastructure is largely based on waste with dedicated markets that are not complicated to process, like plastic bottles. A product may very well have the chasing arrows stamped onto it, but that, in no way, is an assurance that it’s recycled. There is a large difference between what is recyclable and what actually gets recycled. Plastic plant containers pose a particularly complicated challenge to recycling facilities. The majority of them are black—and most facilities’ optical lasers cannot detect black, increasing the likelihood they never make it onto a conveyor belt. Containers are dirty, cost prohibitive for companies to collect and clean, composed of weak plastics with minimal market value once pelletized, and there are perhaps only five facilities across the country that do recycle them. In addition, it is far cheaper for a grower to purchase new pots that are spanking clean.
Alternative containers have been in the market for quite a long time. Cow Pots, Peat Pots, Jiffy Pots, Elle Pots, etc. are examples. Unfortunately, for growers with a large-scale operation there are concerns surrounding integrity, transportation and water use. Such pots may work well for homeowners and small growers, but at this point, they pose too much risk for a large-scale operation. Consideration of these products, however, should be given for plants with a much briefer life cycle than most perennials or woody material. Fiber pots that tend to lose their integrity after multiple rounds of watering would be perfect not only for annuals, herbs, and vegetables but also for a subset of natives that grow really well in them. Right plant with the right pot.
New types of alternatives are making a significant dent. Bioplastic, a bio-renewable feedstock, demonstrates similar characteristics to plastic without being plastic. Another plus is that the producer’s machinery does not need to change. They have rigid sides, water loss is minimal, and can be produced in a number of different sizes and shapes—all similar characteristics to plastic. Bioplastic containers can be thrown into the trash. They will take approximately 2-4 years to break down (unless industrially composted) and do not harm the environment.
Mark Sellew at Pride’s Corner is growing his American Beauty line in Lars Jensen’s Elle pots that are air pruned then covered with a milk carton-like sheath. Trays are made of the same material. No plastic is left behind. This is significant progress from where the container industry was only a few years ago. These products will continue to be trialed (the American Beauty line has already transitioned) and made available in the not too distant future.
When California passed SB54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, it didn’t take terribly long for other states to begin a similar dialogue. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws require producers of products to pay into a fund based on the net amount and the recyclability of the packaging associated with their products. The fees in turn help fund waste management and infrastructure needs. Such systems have proven to work successfully in European countries. Maine, Oregon, California and Colorado laws go into effect starting July 2025 to 2032. Other initiatives include post-consumer recycled (PCR) content legislation that mandates a certain percentage of a product’s composition must include recycled content (from formerly used products that do not include post-industrial). Effectively last year, all products entering New Jersey must contain 10% PCR. Every couple of years the percentage increases by 10%. Some brand owners are taking preemptive steps to increasing PCR content across the board to all products rather than wait until legislation narrows their marketability. Now, the concern lies in an insufficient amount of PCR to put into products. A work in progress.
To better inform the public about the lifecycle of products, states are also adopting “Truth in Labeling” laws (California’s begins in 2025). The deceptive chasing arrows symbol that encompasses the plastic type number has been replaced with a triangle, unless it is widely recycled. Hopefully, more people will begin to ask questions.
Survey after survey are shaping policies across the country. More states will soon be following suit. As an industry we need to take responsibility for the products being delivered to the marketplace. Growers are now aware of these regulations and anxiously trying to find modes for compliance. A colleague recently shared with me, “the train has left the station and is coming at us at a terrifying speed.”
In 2024, I became the lead for the alternatives material committee for the Horticultural Research Institute’s Plastic Task Force. Word had caught on that it was time to evaluate how much of an insult we were thrusting upon the environment. Not only has this given me the perspective of folks on every side of the aisle, but has clarified where we should be placing our focus. Studies are underway assessing plant production using a number of different alternative pots. Working with growers and other stakeholders, we are evaluating concerns about the cost of new machinery and processes, creating implementation strategies, and asking if we should be standardizing containers to simplify the recycling process. Getting a seat at the table within the recycling industry to help implement systems capable of recycling plastic containers should also be considered, as well as being realistic about the growing industry’s needs and perhaps titrating to sustainable options.
In my eyes the ideal scenario would be moving away from virgin plastic all together. The industry must not only comply with regulations but also embrace sustainability as a competitive advantage by reducing plastic use, enhancing recyclability, and adopting innovative materials. Collaboration among growers, manufacturers, and policymakers is key to driving the industry toward a sustainable future. In doing so, our industry needs to communicate the evolving landscape to producers and retailers.
Numbers speak for themselves. In 2022, the survey group Ipsos conducted a global survey about plastics to 20,000 people across 28 countries. 85% of those polled favored products with less plastic packaging. In a separate poll, 85% responded that producers should be held responsible for the lifecycle of their products. Producers, growers and nurseries would be wise to leverage consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives. There is a great deal of value in offering sustainable products.
If we view this challenge as gradients of sustainability, there are a number of ways to reduce the volume of plastic. It is important, however, to not focus solely on the future without considering what has already been produced. In 2021, my friend Peter Van Berkum, owner of Van Berkum Nursery, reached out to inform me that his nursery was taking containers back from landscapers and sending them to a recycling company. He also informed me that Prides Corner in Connecticut had created an amazing container collection network with the states of Maine and Vermont. As soon as I learned of the recycling company both nurseries were collecting for, I booked a flight to Michigan to visit Nathan Diller, the owner of East Jordan Plastics. Years ago, East Jordan began collecting used containers and trays from nurseries and growers (plastic types #s 2, 5 and 6). Let’s work together to find more nurseries willing to be hubs and enlarge the collection web.
For more information please visit:
sustainableplantpots.org and healthypotshealthyplanet.org
Marie Chieppo has spent the past 27 years working as an ecological landscape designer transforming properties to beautiful self-sustaining spaces for all living beings to enjoy. She is the lead for the alternative materials committee at the Horticultural Research Institute’s Plastic Force. Her goal is to help the horticulture industry be better stewards of properties by harnessing nature’s powers and reducing external inputs. She is author of the white paper, “Plastic Pots and the Green Industry: Production, Use, Disposal and Environmental Impacts”, that was published by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers in 2019. She currently serves on the Ecological Landscape Alliance’s Education Committee.
