Are Greenhouses Green?

Greenhouse growers produce crops that improve the environment around them. The benefits of floriculture products both indoors and out are well documented.

But for decades the public has questioned the greenhouse industry’s environmental practices. They see millions of pounds of plastics not getting recycled every year and raise eyebrows. They see high fuel use to heat production houses in winter, and wonder whether greenhouses are being smart with their water use.

A first-of-its-kind market research project conducted by Greenhouse Management has probed the U.S. greenhouse industry’s green practices. It reveals an industry that has taken plastic recycling to heart.

U.S. growers are also making big adjustments in their production practices to conserve heating fuel, use alternative fuels and conserve water.

Almost 73 percent of growers that responded to the April survey reported that they are producing crops in containers or flats that contain some recycled plastics. More than half the respondents reported that 50 percent or more of the pots and flats they use are derived from recycled materials.

On top of this, 40 percent of growers are now producing at least 25 percent or more of their crops in some sort of degradable container.


Recycling programs increasing
For decades, growers were leery of starting plastic recycling programs. The logistics of collecting, storing and cleaning used pots were daunting. And once collected, there were often few recycling facilities that would accept the used pots.

This is now changing. More than 80 percent of growers have some sort of container recycling program. The survey showed that 10 years ago, only about 16 percent of growers had such a recycling program. Also, more than 44 percent of respondents said they plan to upgrade their plastic recycling program in the next 12 months.

A classic example of a grower starting a plastic recycling program is Midwest Groundcovers, headquartered in St. Charles, Ill. The company wanted to reverse a trend, said president Gary Knosher. By company estimates, the U.S. greenhouse/nursery industry sends 350 million pounds of used plastics to landfills nationwide annually.

Heating and irrigation
As heating expenses rise, growers are adapting. More than half of respondents stated they’ve altered their production schedules so they’re producing fewer crops during the dead of winter, when heating requirements are at their peak.

A third of the surveyed growers have begun producing more cold-tolerant crops, and another third have upgraded to a more efficient heating system.