Create a mandatory nationwide plant pot recycling scheme for garden centres, with the view of phasing out plastic with the use of existing biodegradable alternatives.
Why is this important?
An estimated 5 million pots are wasted each year. They are expensive to recycle and inevitably end up outside of conventional routes of waste management, therefore adding to plastic residues in water courses and oceans. It's a problem that shouldn't exist. Biodegradable alternatives are already easily available and at low costs, made from materials such as bamboo, rice husks, cardboard, coconut and straw. Plastic pots are designed as single use packaging so even if they are re-used they have a very short lifespan and are ultimately un-recyclable.