These companies are utilizing plastic alternatives to reduce horticultural waste

Plastics revolutionized the horticulture industry, and the material still has its place. But the green industry continues to struggle with finding alternatives to reduce the reliance on plastic.

Companies are making sustainability solutions a priority. Here are a few examples.

East Jordan Plastics manages a closed-loop recycling system. At its 150,000-square-foot recycling facility in South Haven, Michigan, East Jordan recycles around 20 million pounds of used plastic from horticultural containers each year. This material goes through the firm’s proprietary recycling system, which is eventually used to create thermoformed and injection-molded horticultural containers.

East Jordan also recycles material from post-industrial and post-consumer streams, which last year helped the company achieve post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic certification from AM Testing. More than 25% of the raw material East Jordan uses in manufacturing is PCR, and more than 70% of the raw material it uses in manufacturing is recycled.

East Jordan picks up plastics for recycling across the United States and Canada, and quantities needed for pickup vary. The company accepts polystyrene (P.S. #6), polypropylene (P.P. #5) and high-density polyethylene (H.D.P.E. #2).

The Blackmore Company recently launched a plastic-free retail solution called Plant-It-Friendly.

The Plant-It-Friendly retail sleeve is 95% plastic-free, and the company is working on a 100% plastic-free version. Blackmore is working with packaging company Schur to allow printing on demand.

The retail sleeve is UV-resistant to prevent fading and can withstand up to 15 weeks on the shelf. A padlock design makes it easy to open and close, which gives it the ability to drain like any ordinary pot, Blackmore says. The Plant-It-Friendly program is part of Blackmore’s Air Tray system.

Pöppelmann TEKU’s VCC 16.5 K plant pot is made entirely from North American household plastic waste. The waste is collected, processed and recycled, which “creates a material cycle that conserves natural resources because no more original material is needed to manufacture new products,” the company says.

The pot was created as part of the Pöppelmann Blue initiative, which was designed to conserve resources and protect the climate. According to the manufacturer, the pot is light yet stable and can be stacked easily. It’s also designed for use in automation.

Bluestone Perennials grows plants in 3.5-inch square by 4-inch-deep pots that are 100% biodegradable and can be planted directly in the ground. The pots are made from coconut fibers. The company switched to coconut fiber pots more than 10 years ago and combined them with its packaging system.

Bluestone has also eliminated the use of Styrofoam peanuts in shipping. Bluestone says advantages of the pots extend to the end consumer because they reduce transplant shock.

Van Belle Nursery’s FloGo system was designed several years ago to deliver well-rooted, pot-less plants inside 100% recyclable cardboard boxes. This not only reduces labor by simplifying the receiving process but also boosts margins by eliminating an entire production step of having to remove a plant from a pot for transplant. Shipping pot-less also increases the amount of plants on a pallet, reducing freight costs.

Sustainability is a competitive advantage for companies, says Tom Marting, the director of sustainable solutions at The HC Companies.

“We all need to be thinking about sustainability because the future will be different than the past,” Marting says.

The HC Companies offers sustainable alternative materials such as recycled paper fibers for pots and hanging baskets in EcoGrow containers, which are 100% bio-based. It also utilizes wood-derived, cellulose-based compostable materials in their BioPax bioplastic containers.

Compostable plastic glossary

Compostable plastic, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization, is plastic that can degrade into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass and leave no toxic residue.

To identify compostable plastics, search for indicators like the “#7 PLA” symbol on the plastic item, the explicit labeling of “compostable” or certification from authoritative bodies such as the Biodegradable Products Institute.

Starch-based compostable plastics

These plastics are derived from starches such as maize, wheat, potato and cassava. One example is thermoplastic starch (TPS), which is crafted from corn starch and glycerol. TPS is used as a substitute for traditional plastic mulch and also as an alternative to petroleum-based packaging.

Cellulose-based compostable plastics

Cellulose-based plastics originate from plant cell walls found in biomass materials like trees, cotton, hemp and wood pulp. For example, cellulose acetate (CA) is water resistant and well-suited for packaging applications.

Bacteria-based compostable plastics

These plastics are produced through bacterial fermentation, including polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). PHA’s attributes such as resilience to UV rays, stiffness and insolubility in water make it suitable in packaging and containers as a replacement for polyethylene and polystyrene.

Fossil fuel-based compostable plastics

This type of plastic can exhibit characteristics like toughness and resistance to moisture and gases, making it suitable for various applications, including wrapping films, packaging, shopping bags, mulch films, greenhouse films and silage covers.

Sustainabloom has created several industry guides for plastic recycling and how to choose alternative materials. Visit sustainabloom.org/industry-guide/plastics to download the PDFs.

This article appeared in the April 2025 issue of Greenhouse Management magazine under the headline "The plastic dilemma."

Kelli Rodda is editorial director of Greenhouse Management magazine. Contact her at krodda@gie.net.