With plastic waste continuing to be a growing concern around the globe, people have begun to take it upon themselves to find creative ways to recycle and reuse plastic containers.
One home gardener discovered another use for plastic take-out containers that they had collected. Posting to r/ZeroWaste, the Redditor shared their simple yet highly effective method of reducing their plastic waste.
Using a couple of dozen take-out, clamshell, and other plastic containers, the Redditor revealed that they served as a perfect home for their seedlings.
"I don't think this technically qualifies as 'zero' waste, but I was so proud of my husband and I for taking on this approach to starting our seedlings, rather than buying more plastic," the OP wrote.
According to a UN Environment Program report, over 440 million tons of plastic waste are produced globally each year. By 2050, it is estimated that we will produce over 1 billion tons a year. To make matters worse, around 36% of all plastic waste comes in the form of single-use containers like food and drink containers.
Despite the sheer amount of plastic waste that is created, less than 10% is properly recycled, per OECD. This leads to an overwhelming majority of the waste being incinerated, dumped in a landfill, or littered throughout our environment. Many types of plastic can often take hundreds of years to decompose. This can lead to soil damage, contaminated water sources, and severe health risks to humans and wildlife.
However, thanks to the creativity of home gardeners and companies such as Trashie and GotSneakers, less plastic is finding its way into our environment. By eliminating as much waste as possible, we can work toward a cleaner planet and a cooler future.
Down in the comments section, a few users shared other plastic products that they managed to reuse for their own garden.
"Old K-cups make the best seed starters," noted one commenter. "I just had a blood orange seed that I planted in one sprout."
"Hey my household hasn't started up our garden yet, but I was wondering would medication bottles (the orange prescription ones) be good for this use?" asked a second user.
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Not enough time ⏳ "I've never tried using prescription bottles, but I think with how thick the plastic is it might be difficult to get the start out when it's time to transplant," the user explained. "But maybe give it a try with a couple plants, just to see if it works!"
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