The horticultural industry is leading the battle against single-use plastics and plans were announced in August to introduce the first kerbside recyclable plant pots in 2019, which will completely replace the current black plastic pots that cannot be recycled.
One nursery has worked tirelessly in recent weeks to bring this date forward. Hillier Nurseries in Hampshire took delivery of their first pots last week. Hillier plants will be the first product through any UK retailer to be available in a kerbside recyclable pot, the nursery claims.
Chris Francis, Hillier Garden Centres and Wholesale Nurseries Director, commented: “This is a real breakthrough in the industry and we are delighted to be leading the way as the first UK nursery to commercially use the new taupe recyclable pot. Hillier has always been a pioneer within horticulture and the introduction of the new kerbside recyclable plant pot throughout our Nurseries will have a considerable impact as we forge ahead towards finding sustainable solutions to this global issue.”
Currently 76% of Local Authorities collect pots, tubs and trays as part of their kerbside recycling schemes but not many collect the black plant pots. This is because the plant pots contain carbon black pigment which absorbs Infra-Red from detection systems, hindering recycling. The new pot will use a carbon black pigment free polypropylene solving this problem.
For more information:
Hillier
www.hillier.co.uk