B&Q wants your old plastic plant pots – its new scheme means you can now recycle them easily in-store

We all have those items that we keep hanging around the house that we have no use for but don't know how to get rid of responsibly. Plastic plant pots are the perfect example, but home improvement and gardening retailer B&Q has come to the rescue with its new plastic plant pot recycling stations.

We always encourage repurposing garden and household tools for upcycling ideas for the garden (or anywhere else in your home) first - for example, using your plant pots as a kitchen utensil holder. But sometimes the best thing you can do is recycle them, and it’s a far better option than simply throwing something away.

B&Q’s new recycling stations are launching in more than 100 of its stores across the country where you’re able to simply drop off your no-longer-needed plastic plant pots. What's more, the brand will then turn those collected planters into new ones, made exclusively with recycled plastic.

B&Q launches plastic plant pot recycling stations

B&Q has been our go-to when needing supplies for all our difficult and easy DIY projects. But the retailer also has a large gardening section which we love to peruse. And now those sustainability-conscious will be able to purchase planters made from recycled plastic plant pots collected from customers via its recycling stations.

Available in most B&Q stores, the Blacksmith Black Plastic Round Planter sells for £4. The pot is weather-resistant and produced within the UK in keeping with the retailer’s sustainability mission.

‘As a business we want to make a positive difference through tangible actions,’ says Samantha Dyer, head of quality and sustainability at B&Q. ‘These new recycling stations will allow us to repurpose something that would normally be discarded and help us in our goal to make more sustainable choices easier and more convenient for our customers.’

'Customers can return damaged, broken or whole plastic plant pots to be recycled via the collection stations. As long as the pots are plastic and not filled - we know there may be a little soil remaining - then they can be recycled,' she explains.

This is also not the first time that B&Q has taken sustainability to heart as the brand is also one of the founding members of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which champions responsible forest management through timber certification. And the retailer offers a whole plethora of other products such as plant pots made from recycled plastic. These are some of our favourites, which are not, however, made in-house from the donated plastic plant pots in stores.

However, if you don't have a B&Q store near you, don't worry as there are other ways in which you can recycle your plastic plant pots. Firstly, some garden centres such as Dobbies provide plastic pot recycling bins across 69 of their stores in collaboration with planter brand elho.

Alternatively, some councils offer recycling of plastic plant pots, tubs and trays as part of their kerbside collections - all apart from black planters which contain a pigment that make undetectable to the sorting machine. But to ensure your council is one of those that offer the service, you'll need to check with them directly or use the Recycle Now postcode checking tool.

So if you have any unwanted plastic plants pots taking up space in your shed or at home, then this is what you can do with them instead.