BC Retailers Pledge Support to National Plastics Recycling Event

GARDEN RETAILERS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL PLASTICS RECYCLING EVENT

JUNE 25 TO JULY 4, 2011

Milton, Ontario —June 16,
2011—Canadian gardeners will soon have more options when it comes to
responsibly disposing of garden pots and trays. After a humble start to the
first National Plastics Recycling Event, when just six garden centres collected
more than 53,000 pounds of plastic, 40 Canadian Nursery Landscape Association
(CNLA) members have eagerly pledged their support to the 2011 cause.

Collecting garden plastics for reuse isn’t as easy as it
seems, say nurseryfolk. Customers often
bring an assortment of flowerpots back to nurseries, hoping that they can be
replanted. Donations are usually
declined because sanitized containers are key to preventing the spread of serious
plant pests and disease, but the proper sterilization of used pots can be a
pricey and complicated endeavour. Processors
who recycle soil-laden pots are few. Luckily, the national initiative has partnered
the horticulture industry with committed stewardship organization, CleanFARMS,
and with suppliers like Myers Lawn & Garden Group, who are making strides in
overcoming the problem. Local recyclers West
Coast Plastics Recycling (BC) and Plastix Canada (Ontario) have gone out of
their way to help too.

Phoenix Perennials & Specialty Plants is a mail order and
retail nursery located in Richmond, British Columbia. Proprietor, Gary Lewis,
joined the program last week and was happy to make the extra effort; “The nursery
industry is the ‘original green industry’. We grow the plants and educate the public
about how to add beauty to and improve the environments of our cities and
towns. It’s important that we continue this leadership by working to reduce the
ecological footprint of our industry by encouraging the recycling of the
plastic pots, flats and other materials we require to grow and sell our plants.
The National Plastics Recycling Event is a visionary and important
program that provides a means for nurseries across the country to offer a
recycling service to our customers. Our customers are impressed that we are
showing environmental responsibility. They are overjoyed to get rid of their
plastic pots without having to throw them out, and we get to do the right thing
as a business.”

Gardeners are encouraged to bring
clean, dry garden plastics to one of the garden centre ‘depots’ during National
Plastics Recycling Event from June 25 to July 4. To find a participating garden
centre near you, visit www.canadanursery.com
and click on “National Plastics Recycling Event.”

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Backgrounder

The following garden retailers and recycling partners
will accept garden plastics during the National Plastics Recycling Event from
June 24 to July 5.

In
B.C.

Cannor Nursery, Abbotsford

Cannor Nursery, Parksville

David Hunter Garden Centers, Surrey

Minter Country Garden Store, Chilliwack

Northwest Landscape Supply Ltd., Burnaby

Phoenix Perennials & Specialty Plants, Richmond

Port Kells Nurseries, Surrey

In
Saskatchewan

Cornell Design & Landscaping, Moose Jaw

Dutch Growers, Saskatoon

In
Ontario