May 15, 2012
The 2012 National Plastics Recycling Event will run from June 22 to July 1.

The 2011 version saw over 76,000 pounds of material collected across Canada from June 25 to July 4. Last year six provinces and over 40 garden centres participated in the program, collecting 210 skids of plastic for a total weight of 63,150 lbs. This year, it is hoped to have garden centres participating from all provincial associations across Canada.

The pilot project began four years ago at Landscape Ontario’s home office. It has since grown to the national level, with Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) taking over the project.

Last year a total of 25 LO members acted as depots and actively worked with their customers to encourage the recycling of plastic pots and trays.

During the event, participating garden centres will be plotted on a map on the CNLA website so that consumers can find their closest drop-off point. The program will promote participants and provide participating centres with a toolkit to help organize a successful event. If interested in getting involved in the program, contact Rebecca Doutre, CNLA provincial relations manager, at rebecca@canadanursery.com.