Green Newton

Since most flower pots are made from a variety of plastic resins and are often dark colors, they should be placed in the trash.

It is hard to recycle black plastic because recycling facilities cannot detect them with their optical sensors. The same is true for really dark colors in general (e.g., dark grays and sometimes navy).

But what about white pots? They also go in the trash. There is such a wide variety of sizes and resin types with pots that they likely will NOT be recycled. Please find a way to reuse them, or put them in the trash.

How to avoid buying new plastic pots and plants:

• Reuse pots at a plant swap like Historic Newton’s annual event at the Durant-Kenrick house, June 10.
  Click here to learn more about this free event!
• Save your old pots and use them for new plants.
• Share pots and plants with friends and neighbors or online at Nextdoor, Facebook, or Craigslist.
  Grow plants from seed.

Plastic bags used for soil, mulch, etc.: Please throw these in the trash. These bags are too dirty to recycle at a retailer.

The information first appeared in the City of Newton’s Green Cart Chronicles newsletter.