Household recycling
How to Recycle Plastic Plant Pots
Nursery pots, trays, and cell packs. Genuinely recyclable through a retail take-back route, and genuinely invisible to the machinery that sorts curbside plastics.
Check local acceptanceLast reviewed July 28, 2026
Quick answer
Take them back to a Home Depot garden center, which states it accepts any plastic garden container regardless of where you bought it. Curbside is a dead end for two reasons: soil contamination, and the carbon black pigment in most nursery pots, which sorting sensors physically cannot see. Knock the soil off first, and call any other garden center before making the trip.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
How to Prepare
- 1Knock or rinse all soil off, since dirt is a contaminant and gets loads rejected
- 2Stack pots by size so they take less space and are easier to handle
- 3Take them to a Home Depot garden center, which accepts any plastic garden container