Swamped with plastic nursery pots? Not sure how to get rid of them responsibly? Here are the best ways to repurpose your pots, while helping others and the environment.
As the planting season is coming to a close, you may notice that you’ve accumulated quite a collection of nursery pots.
We’ve all been there. Most of us like to keep some on hand — you never know when they’ll come in handy, but it can get out of control.
If you’ve got more than you will ever use, you may wonder what’s the most responsible way to get rid of them.
Your default may be to scrub them clean and put them in your recycling bin. But they are not accepted everywhere and disturbingly, very little of the plastic that goes in recycling bins actually gets recycled.
So it’s better to repurpose them than recycle them. But who would want them?
You may be surprised! There are many stores, organizations, and gardening groups that will be happy to have your pots. Here’s what I found near me.
Big Box Hardware Stores
Both Lowes and Home Depot have nationwide programs that accept used nursery pots including those from other nurseries. It’s as simple as dropping them off. Look for a collection rack in the garden center.
Home Depot states on their website that they reuse containers when possible and the rest are recycled into new pots, trays, and hanging baskets. (I would love for that to be true.)
Local Nurseries & Gardening Organizations
Most nurseries don’t want their pots back. (I’ve had employees scorn me when I’ve asked.) 😄
However, some small local nurseries are happy to take back your pots. Here in Tucson, we’ve got several options. (Click on the links – they’ll take you directly to contact pages.)
Spadefoot Nursery commendably only uses repurposed pots as part of their commitment to the environment. They accept pots with brand labels, but please only drop off pots that are in good enough condition to be reused.
Desert Survivors, a non-profit nursery, accepts nursery pots. They also accept donations of many other used items including plant stakes, shade cloth, tarps, wood, and power and hand tools.
Tucson Clean and Beautiful, another non-profit organization, accepts donations of 1 and 5-gallon pots. They ask that you contact them to arrange a drop-off.
Another local nursery in need of pots is Wineinger Nurseries in northwest Tucson.
Surprisingly, there’s one specialty nursery that will buy your large pots — Bamboo Ranch. They currently pay around $2 each for #15 or 15 gallon size nursery pots in good condition. (These pots are approximately 18″ inches tall and 16″ inches in diameter at the top.)
Other organizations that may take them include Tohono Chul, Mission Garden, and Community Food Bank.
Please contact any local nursery or organization to confirm
that they’re currently accepting pots before dropping them off.
Donate to Free Plant Stands
Another option is to drop pots off at a free plant exchange stand.
In Artizona, visit Garden Exchange Stands of Arizona Facebook Group or check this interactive map.
Elsewhere, do a search for “free plant stands near me.”
Master Gardener Programs
Nearly every county in the US has an Extension Master Gardener Program, and some of them need pots for their various garden activities. In the past, Pima County Master Gardeners have collected pots to grow plants for their plant sales.
In Arizona, you can find contact information by county here. If you live outside of Arizona, you can find contact info for your county’s Master Gardener program here.
Facebook Groups
It’s not unusual for fellow gardeners, teachers, community gardens, and other gardening-related organizations to be looking for pots. One good way to connect is in a local Facebook gardening group.
People frequently post that they are either looking for pots or trying to rehome them on the Tucson Backyard Gardening Facebook Group page. If you belong to any other local gardening group, I imagine you’d find the same.
If you live in a community with an active Facebook group, you could post there. This is also a good way to connect with neighbors who are fellow gardeners. 😉
Swapping Websites
Note that you’ll have to log into Facebook and join these groups to interact there. If you’re not interested in doing that, there are other platforms where people exchange goods for free such as Craigslist, Next Door, and Buy Nothing.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 15 years.
