One of our customers has a very old greenhouse which 'used' to be insulated with that plastic 'bubble-wrap' secured by clips .
This insulation has been in there for so long now that it has finally broken down into a fine powder resembling snow !
Many of the panes are missing , so whenever there is a strong gust of wind a voluminous cloud of this dust blows across her garden .
I called in the other day and a large area of her land looked like there'd been a hard frost !
How are we supposed to deal with a substance like this ?
Her lawn had an abundance of worm-casts on that morning , and some of this plastic had obviously been 'ingested' into her soil (and probably the worms also) .
Glanced around a while later , and a male blackbird was pulling a worm from her lawn !
My apologies for bringing up the subject of plastic again .
Agree with many of the above comments ; humanity has a lot to answer for !
I have been following this thread and I think everyone knows we have a problem and everyone in their own way is trying to do their bit me included.
But I think we all have to accept that what plastic is out there is never going to go away recycling it is fine but it's still plastic and at some point almost certainly will end up in the ground.
As I see it the only way to stop plastic is to stop manufacturing it and as we all know that is never going to happen or certainly not any time soon and then the whole world has to agree.
Bio degradable is fine if once degraded it leaves no harmful residue as a lot of items do at the moment, yes they degrade in the ground but still leave inorganic chemicals behind so no plastic but chemicals that in time will build up and as yet no one has looked into the problems they may cause in years to come.
So it's a whole new ball game !!!
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
I just reuse mine until they fall apart. Also sometimes school/community garden groups like them I advertise on Freecycle. Use compost bags to line pots or fill with leaves etc. Use old plastic containers as mini cloches or to.hold homemade comfrey feed.
I've just ordered some bare-root perennials (pulmonaria and geranums), something that I haven't done before so I'll see how successful they are. I have plenty of pots to pot them up and grow them on in.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Plastic is the wonder material that we can't seem to live without, cheap, light, versatile, easy to keep clean, durable. Living without it will take a complete change of thinking I can't see it happening any time soon although the problems that it causes are being recognised at least. I guess that the best way to reduce the problem is for everyone to kerb their addiction to consumerism, if you don't need it don't buy it, you don't need that new mobile phone just because everyone else has one or the new car, television,etc. This is a worldwide problem and as consumerism is on the rise everywhere, and those people see the way we in the developed countries have consumed the planets resources without a care for the consequences I doubt that they will be willing to kerb there desire for everything new and shiny either. Maybe what is needed is a new wonder material with all the qualities of plastic without the negative effects or a miracle.
Bare root plants will be perfect, I started with those from Parker’s, someone on here, through the Seed Swap thread sent me loads of geraniums, sorry I can’t remember who, but I was very grateful) Victoria sent me Achillea, all bare roots, I send out lots in that form.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
When I was young still at school we had a small market garden next door where I helped out on Saturdays and during the school holidays.
One of my jobs was to make flower pots from old newspapers, we had solid wooden moulds of four different sizes that we use to tightly fold four or five sheets of paper over and with just a dab of flour glue finish them off.
They worked really well and would last a whole season and then they were just chucked on the compost or used to help light the coal fire at the end of the old heated green house.
Everything we sold was weighed and wrapped in newspaper carrots, beans, cabbage, even the cut chrysanthemums people would just turn up at the shed and help themselves or if they wanted help ring a small brass bell and one of us would wander over and serve, cash was just left in a box on the side no till or safe everything was on trust.
Sorry gone off track there slightly, the point was everything was recycled old news papers became pots or wrapping then fuel or compost to grow more plants.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
We don't have newspapers and not for the last ten years got fed up of reading yesterdays news, we get all we need from computer and it's up to the minute.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Posts
But I think we all have to accept that what plastic is out there is never going to go away recycling it is fine but it's still plastic and at some point almost certainly will end up in the ground.
As I see it the only way to stop plastic is to stop manufacturing it and as we all know that is never going to happen or certainly not any time soon and then the whole world has to agree.
Bio degradable is fine if once degraded it leaves no harmful residue as a lot of items do at the moment, yes they degrade in the ground but still leave inorganic chemicals behind so no plastic but chemicals that in time will build up and as yet no one has looked into the problems they may cause in years to come.
So it's a whole new ball game !!!
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
One of my jobs was to make flower pots from old newspapers, we had solid wooden moulds of four different sizes that we use to tightly fold four or five sheets of paper over and with just a dab of flour glue finish them off.
They worked really well and would last a whole season and then they were just chucked on the compost or used to help light the coal fire at the end of the old heated green house.
Everything we sold was weighed and wrapped in newspaper carrots, beans, cabbage, even the cut chrysanthemums people would just turn up at the shed and help themselves or if they wanted help ring a small brass bell and one of us would wander over and serve, cash was just left in a box on the side no till or safe everything was on trust.
Sorry gone off track there slightly, the point was everything was recycled old news papers became pots or wrapping then fuel or compost to grow more plants.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Paper-Pot-Maker-A-great-way-to-recycle-old-newspapers/381143999208?hash=item58bdf3e2e8:g:dz8AAOSw0e9UvXX1
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog