‘Potty’ plant pot recycling
Avid recycler and environmental campaigner Kalina Le Marquand has helped save over 120,000 plastic plant pots from the Island’s incinerator, thanks to her garden reuse scheme – Potty Eco Pots. Hannah Voak finds out what’s next for the community project.
Photo by Annie Spratt
Walking along a busy residential road in the centre of St Helier, I spot the handmade sign Kalina Le Marquand has told me to look out for. Hanging on a side gate, in bright letters painted on a piece of reclaimed wood attached by a piece of old rope, the sign reads: ‘Potty Eco Pots. Please reuse! Take as many as you like.’
I lift the latch and push open the gate. Behind is an alleyway no wider than a metre and it’s brimming with plant pots. Arranged neatly on shelves are a couple of dozen ceramic pots, some metal planters and a few wicker baskets. There’s even a pot shaped like a wellington boot. Beyond the racks are hundreds more pots, this time made of plastic, stacked waist-high.
While most gardeners will admit to hoarding one too many pots in their garden shed, this is on another scale. Why does Kalina have so many pots stored in this inconspicuous alleyway?
