For some plants, it’s great to start planting indoors to get extra time for growing. However, plastic pots can be expensive and hard to recycle after transferring your plants to your garden.
The scoop
One gardener has shared their expert hack to help prevent waste and recycle using a common household item.
In a TikTok video, user Roots and Shoots (@roots_and_shoots21) shared their hack for growing seedlings and moving them to your garden: using toilet paper rolls.
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“Use toilet paper rolls instead of using plastic pots,” the text on the video reads.
In the video, you can see the gardener peeling the toilet paper roll off of the seedling. Under the toilet paper, the seed has a healthy root system that is now perfect for planting in a garden.
How it’s helping
Each year, there are approximately 396 million tons of plastic per year. Plastic planting pots can contribute to this pollution, which threatens marine species and contributes to planet-warming pollution.
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Plastic pots can also be expensive, especially if you are growing a ton of seeds for your garden.
Toilet paper rolls are a common household item, and we have a lot of them. According to Statista, the average American goes through 141 rolls each year. Recycling toilet paper rolls can be a great substitution for plastic pots and planter boxes, saving you money, while also reducing waste in our landfills and oceans.
Toilet paper cardboard rolls can also act as a great compost option for gardening as well as for other hacks, including firestarter and as toys for pets.
What everyone’s saying
TikTokers were amazed at this simple hack for recycling toilet paper rolls.
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“This is so smart,” one user wrote.
“This is genius,” another said. “The roots look happy.”
“The best seedling pots!!” one commented. “So easy to transplant.”
While toilet paper rolls are “biodegradable containers,” some users found that it is better to remove them before placing them in the dirt, as wet cardboard is a perfect environment for mold.
“I left mine on last year and they ALL molded,” one user commented. “Good removing the paper!!!”
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