First Garden Centre Recycling for EPS Plant Trays

For the first time in the UK, garden centre customers can recycle their used EPS (expanded polystyrene) bedding plant trays and plant pot carriers.

Customers of Notcutts thirteen garden centres and of the seven owned by Garden and Leisure can return their used EPS trays to be recycled with the help of Roundstones Nurseries and Styropack.

Between them, the four companies collect and compact the EPS so that it can be sent for recycling to Synbra Technology, a sister company of Styropack based in the Netherlands.

Since starting up the recycling scheme in 2005, Styropack has recycled 207 tonnes of used horticulture EPS products. "We are very pleased with the success of our recycling project. It demonstrates that EPS used in the horticulture sector can be recycled - so far we have diverted from landfill, the equivalent of 270 articulated lorry loads of new material," says Laura Kielty, UK Sales Manager, Styropack UK.

As well as the groundbreaking customer return schemes at Notcutts and Garden and Leisure, many of the UK's principle nurseries are working with Styropack to recycle all their waste EPS by returning their used bedding trays and plants pot carry trays to Styropack's Blackburn and Ford sites.

"From its humble beginnings in 2005, our recycling of EPS used in horticulture has grown enormously and this is largely due to the support of our customers, the nurseries, and the excellent partnerships we have developed with them," explains Laura Kielty.

Burstons Nurseries in St Albans, Hertfordshire, is one of Styropack's key partners in this endeavour. James Alcaraz, Nursery Manager explains their company ethos. "We try to both minimise waste and recycle everything that we use here.

"We use our EPS seedling trays four times and then we collect and store them to be recycled. The trays are returned to Styropack on the return journeys of existing delivery routes - an important factor if the scheme is to be sustainable economically and environmentally," adds James.

This recycling project is great news for growers who select EPS seedling trays as the best choice for their plants and, of course, it’s good for the environment. And, as Laura Kielty explains, raising awareness and encouraging other nurseries to join similar schemes is an important part of Styropack's activities.

"It is vital that people know and understand what is being achieved by UK industry in developing recycling opportunities. Many people believe that EPS cannot be recycled, especially in the horticulture sector.

"In fact, as this scheme demonstrates it can be usefully recycled, and the end result is a clean recycled bead that, when combined with virgin material, can be used to make any number of plastics items from disposable cameras to coat hangers," concludes Kielty.