Want 100% recyclable? We dig it.

Here at Plants In A Box we’re big fans of the natural world and conscious of having a light footprint on this earth.

The environmental problems damaging our world are just heartbreaking, so we’ve thought long and hard about our recycling.

You’ve probably heard in the news that China has stopped taking our recyclable plastics and that we’re in a crisis with our waste?

It’s pretty much the same the world over. We’re drowning in waste.

Plastics, in particular, are causing a huge environmental problem. Plastics like carrier bags and those crappy disposable water bottles are literally everywhere except in the recycling bin. And to make it worse plastic waste takes 500 years to break down completely.

We don’t want to add to this problem at Plants In A Box and if we could we would only use the good old recycled brown paper bag but sadly they just got wet! 

Experts say people need to cut back on their appetite for a single-use item, re-use what already exists, and recycle whatever is not needed. So, in the midst of our waste crisis, we thought you’d like to know that we’re trying hard and that our packaging is working towards being recyclable and or reusable, being a little bit better all the time.

Here’s the lowdown.

Packaging You Can Reuse and Recycle
Our cardboard boxes break down into nothing.

But!

Before you recycle our boxes you can re-use them. Fold the boxes inside out to store your stuff, make a new box to re-gift the plants, and even use them to catch soil as you re-pot. Re-using our boxes means you don’t have to buy a plastic container. Done that? Great, now it’s time to recycle them. They can go straight into the recycling bin. 

It's also good to note that carbon items such as paper and cardboard, lawn and garden clippings, and a whole lot more can be composted in Subpod! Our new pulp insert "The Plant Traveller" is fully garden compostable. Break them down and use them as mulch around your new seedlings or pop into your Subpod. 

Our little plants are safely grown in tubes. But when it’s time to move on, those little tubes can be re-used. Clean them up and pop ‘em in a space where you can reuse at a later stage, perhaps for some propagating maybe?

Here at the HQ, we reuse all our tubes and much of what we use is recyclable and we will continually try to make the change. It's tricky for a small business like ours as we have found some alternatives but some are as much as 10 times the price which at the moment is not viable for us. We have much to consider and constantly look at packaging and design and doing the best we possibly can.

Our nursery where we grow the plants recycles 90% of our products and there is very little waste, which we are quite proud of. We could write pages on all the products we have trialled when it comes to pots we grow in but they just aren't there yet. It will come through. 

We will get there because we want to, we just have to remain viable as a small business so we can eventually make the change. In the meantime, we are doing the best we can. Hope you will bear with us as we travel down the environmentally sustainable road.

Did your plants arrive in one of our plant travellers? With a puffed out chest we can tell you, it's called Bagasse! Bagasse (pronounced ba-GAS) is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after processing sugarcane to extract the sugar.

It's a natural by-product of sugarcane and can be used as biofuel for producing heat, energy and electricity, as pulp and building materials, and as a replacement for foam or paper products. And thus "The Plant Traveller" was born Read more here on this wondrous material and our journey.

And did you see our bubble wrap? IT’S NOT PLASTIC!

Nope. It’s actually bio-degradable corn starch that breaks down in the home compost bin or council green bin (check with your local council if they are accepting home compostable biodegrade-able plastics) without causing a pollution problem. Your local REDcycle soft programs are also available at your local Coles or Woolworths. . Thanks for disposing responsibly.

Please reuse the bubble wrap first though if you can. Wrap up your precious things, send an eBay parcel, get out your stress by popping the air bubbles - and then compost it. Same goes for our packing peanuts. Reuse them if you can, otherwise pop em in some water and watch them dissolve - they're entirely biodegradable! 

While looking up the specifications of home composting and how long it takes, 12 weeks to break down is acceptable for home composting bioplastic. We're just used to things breaking down super quick in home composts like Subpod! 

If you've ordered something small we fill up voids in boxes with PAPER plus PAPILLON which uses recycled paper to create protective padding - so your items get to you safely and safe for the environment. These can go in your regular recycling!

And our little plastic bags? Don’t Worry - They’re recyclable. 

You can recycle your plastic bags and other soft plastics through the REDcycle bins found at participating stores. Click here to find locations near you.

Unfortunately, we sometimes have to use these bags, for now, to make sure your new babies travel well. This is only used on the varieties where we feel necessary and we are working together to find new and more environmentally friendly ways to overcome this.

Lastly, we use compostable bags, mainly used for our trusted Sustee watering device and perhaps sometimes for your soil.

1. Pop it in your own compost (making sure to remove the seal and any labels first).
2. Don’t have one? Think about setting one up. Did you know, approximately half of what households send to landfill is compostable material? 10% is from the garden and a whopping 40% is from the kitchen. There are a number of ways to compost depending on your situation, there’s a great guide here. If you’re in Oz you might be able to save up to 80% on compost bins and worm farms with your local council!
3. Not interested in composting or just don’t have space? Here are some other options …

• shareware which aims to link up those people without composting with those who do – it’s genius!

• In Australia, the PlanetArk website will help you find your nearest composter.

As you can imagine shipping live plants is one of the hardest products to deliver online. We pride ourselves on delivering a premium product to your door. If we wouldn't buy it we just simply won't send it. 

Woah, so now we have gone through all the packaging details, this then brings us to the high tech stuff. Yep, we are movers and groovers. Our new box has undergone its transformation and re-vamped, pimped up you could say with a fancy new QR code that you can scan with your iPhones; we'll escort you to the land of "how to grow guides" and "what to do when your plants arrive!" It's informative and simple just the way you wanted it to be. 5 star customer service with no need for care-cards and papers, invoices, packing slips. 

Recycling is a big aspect of gardening. Nature knows best. She’s produced biodegradable plants that break down into high quality nutritious potting mix or mulch so there’s zero waste. Give it a go if you’ve got some room.

We’re Trying Our Best

Baby steps to help the planet deal with waste are important.

We take our carbon footprint seriously and try really hard each day to tread lightly on the Earth. We’re not perfect yet, but we’re getting there and we figure every little bit helps.