30 Day Zero Waste Challenge
Day 14
ZERO WASTE + PLASTIC-FREE GARDENING
Today’s challenge marks the end of Week 2 of our 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge and one where we head back to the garden and talk plastic free options.
This one will be tough! I spent a few hours at the Seattle Tilth Spring Plant Sale and there were hundreds beautiful, organic plants lovingly presented in the ubiquitous plastic pot.
Here are a few blog posts I found on the topic. Have you had luck minimizing plastic in your garden? Please share!
From Gardening Without Plastic – Where to Start:
1-Stop buying new plastic
2-Use up all the plastic you’ve already got
3-Recycle your spent plastic… and don’t replace it with new
4-If there’s no non-plastic alternative, find a getaround
5-In extremis, use recycled plastic
6-And watch out for uninvited plastic
7- Find non-plastic alternatives such as:
-Bamboo and cardboard – https://gardeningwithoutplastic.com/2018/03/19/the-alternatives-1-bamboo-and-cardboard/
-Clay and coir
The alternatives #2: Clay and coir
More great links:
- https://gardeningwithoutplastic.com/category/plastic-free-gardening/
- https://treadingmyownpath.com/2016/06/09/zero-waste-plastic-free-gardening/
This link, “7 Ways To Get Plastic Out Of Your Vegetable Garden”, from Rodale Press has great ideas:
Hunt Down The Right Hose and Learn How to Repair the Old One!
“While you’ll be hard-pressed to find a completely plastic-free hose, you can choose a model that’s made of more responsible materials and one that’s not coated with hormone-disrupting chemicals. Avoid garden hoses made of vinyl, and steer clear of ones advertised as being treated with antimicrobial, moss-inhibiting, or Microban or Biofresh chemicals. These likely contain the dangerous chemical triclosan, an ingredient linked to hormone disruption, much like BPA. Polypropylene hoses are used for food and potable water uses. Just don’t let hoses lie around outside all day…the sun’s UV rays can reduce the life of your hose.”
https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/7-ways-get-plastic-out-your-vegetable-garden
“STOP: Before You Toss That Cracked Garden Hose—Fix It”
https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/stop-before-you-toss-that-cracked-garden-hose-fix-it
Quote of the Day:
“What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.” -Paul Hawken
