From the Orange Co. Recycling Newsletter. Thanks to Lissa Lutz for sharing with the EMGVs.

Don’t toss plant pots or cell packs! They can be returned for recycling and reuse at Lowes. Metrolina Greenhouses out of Charlotte supplies all the plants sold at Lowes Home Improvement Stores and other ‘big box’ retailers. They also provide collection points at Lowes and other stores where they will take back for recycling and reuse ALL flower pots including the flimsy cell packs, plastic trays that held multiple pots and empty bags that held compost or mulch! This is a great complement to Orange County’s programs that cannot accept the dirty compost bags, cell packs or pots that are not
#2, 4 or 5. (ed. note: The City of Durham’s Solid Waste Management also accepts containers and packaging that are marked with a recycling code.) Metrolina reports they recycled or reused 2 million pounds of plastic last year. Most of the pots over 10” are reused and so are the trays. Last year, they reduced the purchase of trays 50% because so many were returned for reuse. Their recycling partner, Verity Resins in Randleman NC, receives all the other plastic pots and film. After Verity sorts and grinds the material, they sell it to Myers Industries out of Ohio to be recycled into other garden produc