I’m quasi-religious when it comes to recycling. That is to say, pretty good at putting stuff in the big blue bin the City of Calgary provides and charges me for. But (and there’s always a but), I do set aside a few goodies for the garden during the off-season.

I don’t keep the glass bottles (we do like our wine) or the pop cans (the studio does like it’s sugar) which generally get pre-cycled by the bin picking folk. I do however, keep the clear plastic containers our salad greens come in during the winter months (weird?) and the two litre clear plastic bottles that previously contained some of the finest carbonated water money can buy (not-so-weird?).

And here’s why:

Salad Boxes (for lack of a better term) make great trays for growing baby greens – it’s almost ironic! The lids double as a tray for any excess water and the containers themselves make great planters – baby greens aren’t too fussy and by the time they do get fussy, we’ve probably eaten them!

Two litre bottles make awesome cloches which serve two purposes (in my case at least). Firstly, they provide protection for young plants in early Spring from cold temperatures or a late frost. Secondly, my delicate foods-to-be from being eaten by the rabbits or dug up by the squirrels.

I’m all for recycling (as per my introductory paragraph) but there’s no sense in throwing some things away, not immediately anyway. And you never know, your pocket, garden, stomach and the landfill may thank you.

Save containers to save on containers.