August 15, 2012
Nearly 100,000 lbs. of garden plastic was collected in the National Plastics Recycling Event held from June 22 to July 1.

In Ontario nearly 20 garden centres signed up for the project this year. The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association’s (CNLA) organized the event. The national association estimates that 91,229 lbs. of plastic was collected by the 56 garden centres in eight provinces that participated as drop-off points for their community’s used garden pots and trays. Of that amount, Ontario collected 31,774 lbs.

“With a 40 per cent increase in participation and plastics collected, this year’s event was a huge success,” says Rebecca Doutre, Retail Priorities
Manager at CNLA, who coordinated the program.

Ontario garden centres taking part in the program include Alcock Nurseries, Campbellcroft; Bala Garden Centre, Bala; Barrie Botanix, Barrie; Black Forest Garden Centre, King City; Greenbelt Farm, Mitchell; Holland Park Garden Gallery, Burlington; Kamstra Landscaping, Oshawa; LittleTree Horticultural, Fergus; Make It Green Garden Centre, Kanata; Plant World, Etobicoke; Sipkens Nurseries, Wyoming; Richmond Nursery, Ottawa; Ridge View Garden Centre, Beamsville; Sheridan Nurseries: Georgetown, Mississauga, Whitby, Markham, North York, Scarborough, Toronto, Kitchener; Tarantino Nursery, Vaughan; Van Dongen’s Garden Centre, Hornby; Walter’s Greenhouse, Paris, and Windmill Garden Centre, Orillia.

This was the third year for the program, which was launched in 2010, when just six garden centres collected more than 53,000 pounds of plastic, and last year over 40 garden centres participated, collecting 63,150 pounds.  

The National Plastics Recycling Event is scheduled to return again in 2013. Recyclers who can offer free pick-ups of unsorted garden and agricultural plastics, and garden retailers who wish to participate are asked to contact the CNLA, rebecca@canadanursery.com.